From the Village of Oak Park:

Oak Park's 2013 crime rate was the second lowest in the last 41 years, according to data compiled under the state's Uniform Crime Reporting Index released this week by the Police Department.



Police investigated 1,798 crimes in the Village in 2013, down 9 percent from the 1,967 crimes reported in 2012 and far below Oak Park's crime rates in the 1980s and 1990s that often were nearly double last year's rate. Thefts and burglaries represented nearly 90 percent of all 2013 crime.

"The 2013 crime statistics attest not only to the training, skill and dedication of the hard working men and women of our Police Department, but also to the community's support and active involvement," said Village Manager Cara Pavlicek. "Oak Park's focus on policing at the neighborhood level has created an effective crime-fighting partnership that is reflected in the data."

Echoing Pavlicek's remarks, Oak Park Police Chief Rick C. Tanksley added, "Our 2013 statistics demonstrate just how safe our community really is. As in past years, the majority of criminal activity in Oak Park continues to be property crimes such thefts and burglaries – most often garage burglaries." Acknowledging that Oak Park data likely reflects the overall decline in crime nationally, Tanksley said he firmly believes that the combination of an engaged citizenry and professional, dedicated officers set Oak Park apart from other communities and has played a significant role in the declining local crime rate.

In addition, he said, the use of crime data analysis to identify and strategically address emerging trends has led to quick Police response times to calls for service and solving crimes at rates above the national average. Burglaries and thefts continued to represent the vast majority of all crimes committed in Oak Park in 2013. These two categories alone comprised nearly 90 percent of all 2013 crimes, with garages as burglars' most frequent targets, Police say.

However, the 85 robberies reported in 2013 – down from the 99 reported in 2012 –were the lowest number of robberies since 1972, the earliest year for which comparable data are available, according to Tanksley.

Arrests were down in 2013, according to the data, likely reflecting the decline in the overall crime rate. Police made 224 arrests in 2013 compared to 296 in 2012. Nearly three quarters of the arrests were for burglaries, thefts and assaults.

Tanksley was quick to note that while the overall decline in the numbers at the bottom line of the crime statistics is significant, the perception of safety and addressing quality of life issues always is a concern. "Even though crime has been declining overall and last year's decline is significant, the Police Department has never lost sight that each number represents a person who has encountered a criminal or criminal activity and may carry that encounter with them for the rest of their lives," Tanksley said.

