Violent and property crimes in Chicago have dropped for the 30th consecutive month with overall crime dropping by more than 4 percent in June compared to last year's numbers, according to Chicago police officials.
But officials said that the thefts of vehicles in Chicago continues to climb even as recent arrests have led to the dismantling of two separate "chop shop" operations in the city.
The drop in the homicide rate by 14.4 percent was among the most significant decereases last month, police said. Through the end of June there were 31 fewer homicides when compared to the same time last year, officials said. More than half of the 25 police districts showed drops in homicides with most districts showing double or triple digit declines, police said in a statement.
In addition to the homicide declines, violent crime numbers showed a drop in every category. Aggravated assaults dropped by 13.6 percent and robberies dipped 3.9 percent, police said. Criminal sexual assaults dropped by 1.7 percent, police said.
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy called the decreased numbers "encouraging," especially since they come during the summer months, a busy time for police.
"The summer months can present unique challenges for the Department," McCarthy said. "The hard-working men and women of the Chicago Police Department have done a tremendous job responding to those challenges, and these numbers are a testament to their dedication."
But as property crimes dipped by 2.9 percent, there were slight increases in burglary reports, which climbed by .2 percent, and arson incidents, which are up .4 percent.
Motor vehicle theft continued to increase, climbing by 17.4 percent by the end of last month, police said. Thefts dropped by 8.8 percent, police said.
Police said they are focusing on combating the increases, especially in the property crime categories and motor vehicle theft, citing the recent shutdown of two "chop shops" operating on the West Side of the city.
Early last month, police executed a search warrant on a West Side warehouse that led to the recovery of two stolen vehicles as well as 29 additional vehicles which were being dismantled. The operation lead to charges against two people.
This week, police concluded a four-month-investigation with charges against four other people involved in another auto theft ring, police said
No comments:
Post a Comment