The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Police issue 2016 crime data report

Feb. 9, 2017 – The Oak Park Police department has released the crime data compiled for 2016 for the state’s annual Uniform Crime Reporting Index.

Police investigated 1,605 crimes in 2016 compared to 1,568 crimes reported in 2015. The number of crimes reported in 2016 remained below the 1,665 crimes reported in 2014 and 1,798 crimes reported in 2013.

The overall trend remains far below annual rates in the 1980s and early 1990s that often were nearly double the rates of recent years.

Police Chief Anthony Ambrose credited the partnership between an engaged citizenry and professional dedicated officers with playing a significant role in helping keep crime low even while the nearby City of Chicago struggled with significant increases in violent criminal activity.

“Oak Park remains a very safe community thanks to residents who actively assist Police by assuming a sense of proprietorship over their neighborhoods,” Ambrose said. “Police can’t be everywhere all the time, but residents who are willing to report suspicious persons and activities are essential to helping us be in the right place at the right time.”

Burglaries and thefts continued to represent the vast majority of all crimes committed in Oak Park in 2016. These two categories alone comprised nearly 90 percent of all 2016 crimes, with garages as burglars’ most frequent targets, Police say.

The 1,057 thefts reported in 2016 were up slightly from the 1,043 thefts reported in 2014, while the 360 burglaries reported in 2016 were up from the 337 reported in 2015.

In addition to the small increases in thefts and burglaries, 68 robberies were reported in 2016 compared to 65 reported in 2015, numbers still well below the 83 robberies reported in 2014 and 85 reported in 2013.

Police also investigated 34 assault/battery reports in 2016 compared to 21 incidents reported in 2015.

The three criminal sexual assault incidents reported in 2016 were down from the six reported in 2015, crimes Police say typically involve victims who know their assailants.

Motor vehicle thefts were down as well, with 80 vehicles stolen in 2016, compared to 92 in 2015.

Police made 167 arrests in 2016, compared to 164 in 2015. Nearly 80 percent of the arrests were for burglaries and thefts, Oak Park’s most frequent crimes.

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