2013 crime rate second lowest since 1972

Oak Park’s 2013 crime rate was the second lowest in the last 41 years, according to data compiled by the Police Department under the state’s Uniform Crime Reporting Index.

Police investigated 1,798 crimes in 2013, down 9 percent from the 1,967 crimes reported in 2012 and far below Oak Park’s crime rates in the 1980s and 1990s that often were nearly double last year’s rate.

Acknowledging that Oak Park data likely reflects the overall decline in crime nationally, Police Chief Rick C. 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.

Burglaries and thefts continued to represent the vast majority of all crimes committed in Oak Park in 2013. These two categories alone comprised nearly 90 percent of all 2013 crimes, with garages as burglars’ most frequent targets, Police say.

The 85 robberies reported in 2013 — down from the 99 reported in 2012 — were the lowest number of robberies since 1972, the earliest year for which comparable data are available.

Arrests were down in 2013, according to the data, likely reflecting the decline in the overall crime rate. Police made 224 arrests in 2013 compared to 296 in 2012. Nearly three quarters of the arrests were for burglaries, thefts and assaults.

Here’s a brief summary of crime in Oak Park during 2013:

• Thefts, typically crimes of opportunity, remained the single largest category of crimes reported in Oak Park. Some 1,148 thefts were reported in 2013, compared to 1,341 in 2012, a decrease of 14 percent.
• Burglary continued to be the second largest single crime category, with 460 cases reported in 2013, compared to 426 in 2012. 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 downward trend evident over the past several years. Police investigated 85 robberies in 2013, compared to 99 in 2012, 107 in 2011 and 133 in 2010.
• No homicides occurred in 2013.
• Five criminal sexual assaults were reported in 2013, the same as in 2012. In all five cases the offender was known to the victim.
•  Aggravated assault/battery cases were unchanged in 2013 from 2012, with 36. In the majority of these cases, offenders knew their victims.
• Five arsons were reported in 2013, up from three in 2012. In four of the five cases the affected party refused to cooperate. An arrest was made in the fifth incident.
• Police responded to 33,155 calls for service in 2013, compared to 33,521 in 2012. The average response time in 2013 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.