The Chicago Tribune recently produced a piece that offers a comprehensive look at crime in Chicago over the past 14 years. Violent crime, property crime and quality of life crimes have all declined over the past decade, but let’s take a closer look at how crime fluctuates in the Windy City.
Crimes By Month
It should come as no surprise to any regular reader of our blog that crime rates spike during the warm summer months. Of the summer months, July was by far the most popular month for crime. Violent crime peaked in July in 12 of the last 13 years (full 2014 data not yet available), and property crime peaked in July in nine of the last 13 years. Quality of life crimes, which are defined as crimes that “demoralize community residents by contributing to physical disorder or social decay” – think vandalism, graffiti and prostitution – occurred much more sporadically than violent and property crime.
Although violent and property crimes generally spike during the summer, the overall rate of these crimes has dropped dramatically over the past decade. In July of 2001 they were:
- 14,511 reports of property crime
- 9,652 instances of quality of life crimes
- 4,471 documented violent crimes
In July of 2013, the reported numbers were:
- 9,912 reports of property crime
- 5,967 instances of quality of life crimes
- 2,604 documented violent crimes.
Crime By Location
As you might expect, some neighborhoods experience more crime than others. The breakdown can be seen below.
Violent crime rates
1. Riverdale (3.2 reports per 1,000 people)
2. Washington Park (3.2/1,000)
3. West Garfield (3.1/1,000)
4. West Englewood (3.0/1,000)
5. Englewood (3.0/1,000)
Property crime rates
1. Loop (13.6 reports per 1,000 people)
2. Fuller Park (8.5/1,000)
3. Chatham (6.5/1,000)
4. South Deering (6.0/1,000)
5. Near West Side (5.8/1,000)
Quality of life crime rates
1. West Garfield Park (9.8 reports per 1,000 people)
2. Fuller Park (8.2/1,000)
3. North Lawndale (7.2/1,000)
4. East Garfield Park (6.4/1,000)
5. Austin (6.2/1,000)
For more information about the report, head on over to the Chicago Tribune’s crime section.
Illinois Criminal & Civil Defense Blog 