Evanston police say reported crime in the city has dropped nearly 22 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year.
Evanston police say reported crime in the city has dropped nearly 22 percent so far this year compared to the same period last year.
Through the end of July, the violent crime index was down nearly 33 percent while the index of the much more numerous property crime was down just over 20 percent.
Police Commander Tom Guenther says police efforts to establish partnerships with more than two dozen community groups across the city have been key to the crime reduction.
He also credited the department’s efforts to monitor and map crime trends on a weekly basis and deploy officers to make the greatest impact on areas where crime incidents have spiked.
So far this year in the violent crime categories that are tracked for state and federal crime rate comparisons, Evanston has seen no murders, down from two last year; two criminal sexual assaults, down from three last year; 41 robberies, down from 77 last year, and 73 incidents of aggravated battery and assault, down from 91 last year.
In property crime categories burglaries are down nearly 27 percent, thefts are down 18 percent, motor vehicle theft is down 25 percent and arson is down 40 percent.
For all of 2008, Evanston saw a 6 percent increase in violent crime compared to 2007 and a 3 percent decrease in property crime.
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