2014 crime rate at record low

Jan. 13, 2014 - Oak Park’s 2014 crime rate was the lowest in the 42 years since comparable information has been collected, according to data compiled under the state's Uniform Crime Reporting Index released this week by the Police Department.

Police investigated 1,665 crimes in the Village in 2014, down 7 percent from the 1,798 crimes reported in 2013 and far below Oak Park’s crime rates in the 1980s and 1990s that often were nearly double that of the last few years. Thefts and burglaries represented nearly 90 percent of all 2014 crime, a statistic that has remained virtually unchanged for many years.

"The 2014 crime statistics reflect the collaboration of dedicated Police Officers and an active, engaged citizenry,” said Village Manager Cara Pavlicek. “Oak Park's focus on policing at the neighborhood level has created an effective crime-fighting partnership that relies on the community’s support and active involvement with the law enforcement professionals who work to make our community safe. The success of this team effort is reflected in the data." 

Echoing Pavlicek’s remarks, Oak Park Police Chief Rick C. Tanksley added, "Our 2014 statistics illustrate just how safe it is to live in our community. As in past years, the majority of criminal activity in Oak Park continues to be property crimes such thefts and burglaries – most often garage burglaries.”

Acknowledging that Oak Park data likely reflects the overall decline in crime nationally, Tanksley said he firmly believes that the combination of an engaged citizenry and professional, dedicated officers set Oak Park apart from other communities and has played a significant role in the declining local crime rate.

In addition, he said the use of crime data analysis to identify and strategically address emerging trends has led to quick Police response times to calls for service and solving crimes at rates above the national average.

The data show that burglaries and thefts continued to represent the vast majority of all crimes committed in Oak Park in 2014. These two categories alone comprised nearly 90 percent of all 2014 crimes, with garages as burglars' most frequent targets, Police say.

However, the 83 robberies reported in 2014 – down from the 85 reported in 2013 and 99 in 2012 –were the lowest number of robberies since 1972, the earliest year for which comparable data are available, according to Tanksley.

Arrests also were down in 2014, according to the data, likely reflecting the decline in the overall crime rate. Police made 155 arrests in 2014 compared to 224 in 2013.  Nearly three quarters of the arrests were for burglaries, thefts and assaults.

Tanksley was quick to point out that while the overall decline in the numbers at the bottom line of the crime statistics is significant, the perception of safety and how it affects quality of life issues always is a concern.

“Even though crime has been declining overall for years and last year’s decline is significant, the Police Department never loses sight that each number represents a person who has encountered a criminal or criminal activity and may carry that encounter with them for the rest of their lives,” Tanksley said.

"The fact that the overall rate is at its lowest level in years really doesn’t mean a lot to a victim of a crime or if there’s a continual nuisance in your neighborhood. That's why my officers, command staff and I continually strive to help residents feel safe by providing them the information they need to play a vital role in our crime-fighting initiatives."

Tanksley stressed the importance of citizen involvement to the continued decline in the crime rate. The willingness of citizens to call in suspicious persons or activities is essential to Police catching criminals in action and sending the message that Oak Parkers are on the lookout for crime, he said.

Here’s a brief summary of crime in Oak Park during 2014:

• Thefts, typically crimes of opportunity, remained the single largest category of crimes reported in Oak Park. Some 1,088 thefts were reported in 2014, compared to 1,148 in 2013, a decrease of 5 percent.
• Burglary continued to be the second largest single crime category, with 395 cases reported in 2014, compared to 460 in 2013. In more than a third of the residential burglaries and nearly two-thirds of the garage burglaries entry was via an unlocked door or window.
• Robberies, a crime police say often affects the public’s perception of safety, continued a trend evident over the past several years. Police investigated 83 robberies in 2014, compared to 85 in 2013, 99 in 2012 and 106 in 2011.
• No murders occurred in 2014. The last time a murder occurred here was in 2011.
• Five criminal sexual assaults were reported in 2014, the same as in 2013. In all five cases the offender was known to the victim and there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the suspected offenders at this time.
• The 15 reports of aggravated assault/battery cases in 2014 was a 58 percent decline from the 36 cases investigated in 2013. In the majority of these cases, offenders knew their victims and were reluctant to prosecute.
• Four arsons were reported in 2014, down from five in 2013. One suspect was connected to two of the incidents. The remaining two cases still are under investigation.
• Reports of 75 motor vehicle thefts were investigated in 2014, up from the 59 in 2013. Police attributed the increase to an area-wide organized effort that targeted minivans. Related arrests were made in Chicago, Forest Park and Oak Park.
• Police responded to 32,651 calls for service in 2014, compared to 33,155 in 2013. The average response time in 2014 was three minutes and 39 seconds for high priority calls; four minutes and 42 seconds for medium-priority calls such as accidents with no injuries; and six minutes and 20 seconds for low-priority calls.

For more information on Oak Park's community policing programs, visit www.oak-park.us/police