Already in decline, major crime figures fell even further last year throughout most of the North Shore, but rose slightly at Northwestern University’s Evanston campus, according to state data to be released Sunday.
The number of major crimes also increased somewhat in Lake Bluff, Winnetka and Glenview, state figures show.
At Northwestern, robberies increased to six in 2003, up from two in the previous year. Burglaries jumped to 50 from 21, while rapes rose to four from one in 2002, according to the crime data.
In response to those on-campus robberies and a string of off-campus robberies involving Northwestern students that began in fall, campus police stepped up patrols, expanded hours for shuttle-bus service and are in the process of adding 10 officers. Officials also improved street lighting on and near the campus.
“Our objective is to make the campus as safe as possible,” said Chuck Loebbaka, a university spokesman. “We believe that the substantial investments we have made in new resources–people, money, equipment, education–have made major contributions toward that objective.”
Those measures have already had an impact on some students.
“With the increase in the shuttle bus [service] as well as the increase in cops around our campus and the Evanston area, I felt safe,” said Ketica Guter, 20, the incoming coordinator for the university’s black student alliance. “I knew the schedule of the shuttle bus like the back of my hand, and I made sure to walk with a partner at all times because I didn’t want to be the next victim.”
Each year, the Illinois State Police publishes “Crime in Illinois,” a compilation of reports on the eight most serious violent and property crimes from hundreds of local law enforcement agencies.
The 2003 report found statewide decreases in crimes from murder and rape to burglary and arson, with corresponding decreases in arrests. Overall, the Illinois crime rate fell 4.8 percent last year to 3,947 per 100,000 people, the lowest level since 1972.
Police in Lake Bluff, Winnetka and Glenview offered differing explanations for the rise in crime in their communities–everything from unlocked cars and garages in Winnetka to a rash of burglaries at construction sites in Glenview.
“If it’s not literally nailed down, they’re taking it,” Glenview Police Chief William Fitzpatrick said of the burglaries in his community. “We tell people if they see a refrigerator being moved out of a house late on a Sunday, call us.”
Burglaries in Glenview jumped to 171 in 2003 from 134 in 2002, according to the state figures. Arsons spiked to nine from one in the same period, mostly attributed to one person who was arrested for setting cars on fire in parking lots, Fitzpatrick said.
Ronald Fischer, 40, of Wilmette, was recently sentenced to 3 years in prison for four of the village’s arsons, officials said.
In Winnetka, burglaries increased to 31 from 23, while thefts remained about the same with 133 in 2003 and 135 in 2002.
“Most of our burglaries and thefts are crimes of opportunity,” Winnetka Deputy Police Chief Eric Bennett said. “If people in the community would just lock their car doors and their garages … those numbers would diminish significantly.”
Contributing to the overall increase in crime, there was also a murder in Winnetka in 2003, the first in the village in about a decade, Bennett said.
David Kraybill, 41, of Madison, Wis., is awaiting trial on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Joel Cacharelis, 40, of Winnetka, whose body was found in February 2003 near the Skokie Lagoons, officials said.
In Lake Bluff, 10 burglaries were reported in 2003, compared with none the previous year. Motor vehicle theft increased to seven from five.
In addition, an elderly couple were found fatally shot in their home in late June 2003 in what police called an apparent murder-suicide. The last murder in the village had been more than two decades ago, officials said.
Lake Bluff Police Chief Bill Gallagher said most of the burglaries last year involved people who left cars unlocked in garages with valuable items inside.
In some cases, kids were sneaking into garages to take beer out of refrigerators, he said.”What we hope to do, what we shoot for, is periods of time where we are totally crime free,” Gallagher said. “We try to minimize crime opportunities.”
In a majority of communities on the North Shore, however, overall crime was on the decline.
Evanston Police Chief Frank Kaminski said he’s pleased with the results, adding that crime in his city has steadily declined to about 3,600 total crimes in 2003 from roughly 7,600 six years ago.
Kaminski attributes most of the city’s success to strategies that incorporate the assistance of residents, businesses, schools and Evanston officials.
For example, there is a civil enforcement task force that uses multiple resources to deal with such issues as run-down homes, he said. Police also have a youth initiative to reach out to children and teens.
“It’s the overall mindset, the mindset that by building partnerships, we’re able to work on problems and issues and deal with the quality of life,” Kaminski said. “I think [the statistics are] really a nice comment on how well the community as a whole has worked.
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Reported crime in the six-county area
The number of serious crimes reported in 2002 and 2003, according to the Illinois State Police.
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CITY OF CHICAGO
2003 population (est.) 2,886,25
Crime rate per 1,000 64.1
Reported crimes (2002) 193,319
Reported crimes (2003) 185,052
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 -4.3%
CITY OF CHICAGO
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 651 598
Criminal sexual assault 2,023 1,799
Robbery 18,530 17,302
Aggr. assault/battery 22,905 19,784
Burglary 25,614 25,064
Theft 97,484 96,779
Motor vehicle theft 25,096 22,779
Arson 1,016 947
SUBURBAN COOK
2003 population (est.) 2,491,40
Crime rate per 1,000 33.9
Reported crimes (2002) 90,209
Reported crimes (2003) 84,588
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 -6.2%
SUBURBAN COOK
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 85 98
Criminal sexual assault 701 631
Robbery 2,410 2,485
Aggr. assault/battery 4,151 3,881
Burglary 13,253 11,949
Theft 60,769 57,241
Motor vehicle theft 8,427 7,882
Arson 413 421
DUPAGE COUNTY
2003 population (est.) 924,589
Crime rate per 1,000 24.2
Reported crimes (2002) 22,501
Reported crimes (2003) 22,348
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 -0.7%
DUPAGE COUNTY
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 10 6
Criminal sexual assault 175 169
Robbery 218 252
Aggr. assault/battery 843 764
Burglary 2,463 2,473
Theft 17,671 17,553
Motor vehicle theft 963 944
Arson 158 187
KANE COUNTY
2003 population (est.) 443,041
Crime rate per 1,000 27.8
Reported crimes (2002) 12,685
Reported crimes (2003) 12,338
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 -2.7%
KANE COUNTY
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 27 21
Criminal sexual assault 147 163
Robbery 279 302
Aggr. assault/battery 847 704
Burglary 1,983 1,795
Theft 8,722 8,667
Motor vehicle theft 595 601
Arson 85 85
LAKE COUNTY
2003 population (est.) 674,850
Crime rate per 1,000 23.6
Reported crimes (2002) 15,789
Reported crimes (2003) 15,940
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 +1.0%
LAKE COUNTY
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 8 15
Criminal sexual assault 208 223
Robbery 295 328
Aggr. assault/battery 931 932
Burglary 2,064 2,156
Theft 11,421 11,385
Motor vehicle theft 787 812
Arson 75 89
MCHENRY COUNTY
2003 population (est.) 286,681
Crime rate per 1,000 20.9
Reported crimes (2002) 5,894
Reported crimes (2003) 6,008
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 +1.9%
MCHENRY COUNTY
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 3 1
Criminal sexual assault 70 92
Robbery 29 29
Aggr. assault/battery 303 331
Burglary 799 701
Theft 4,517 4,658
Motor vehicle theft 128 159
Arson 45 37
WILL COUNTY
2003 population (est.) 559,861
Crime rate per 1,000 23.5
Reported crimes (2002) 13,944
Reported crimes (2003) 13,173
Change in number of crimes, 2002-2003 -5.5%
WILL COUNTY
CRIMES BY TYPE 2002 2003
Murder 15 20
Criminal sexual assault 175 181
Robbery 277 269
Aggr. assault/battery 1,044 803
Burglary 2,247 2,238
Theft 9,256 8,751
Motor vehicle theft 771 766
Arson 159 145
Source: Illinois State Police
Chicago Tribune
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