BY MIKE CETERA
The FBI's preliminary Uniform Crime Report for 2007 is in, and while the numbers for Aurora aren't a surprise since the city released its data months ago, it is interesting to see what's happening in other Illinois cities with populations greater than 100,000.
The FBI cautions against the practice of comparing crime numbers between cities even though the agency makes it so very tempting to do:
Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their residents. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.
With that warning in mind, let's look at what happened in 2007 elsewhere.
Naperville:
2 murders
17 robberies
76 aggravated assaults
2,332 property crimes
250 burglaries
2,009 larcenies/thefts
73 motor vehicle thefts
10 arsons
Joliet:
9 murders
161 robberies
400 aggravated assaults
4,063 property crimes
899 burglaries
2,992 larcenies/thefts
172 motor vehicle thefts
59 arsons
Peoria:
16 murders
390 robberies
474 aggravated assaults
5,216 property crimes
1,248 burglaries
3,541 larcenies/thefts
427 motor vehicle thefts
47 arsons
Rockford:
22 murders
634 robberies
1,343 aggravated assaults
9,296 property crimes
2,675 burglaries
5,961 larcenies/thefts
660 motor vehicle thefts
84 arsons
Overall, violent crime fell 1.4 percent in 2007 in the U.S. But it actually increased in smaller cities.
From the Department of Justice:
"The report suggests that violent crime is decreasing and remains near historic low levels, which is a credit to increased cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement. Some communities, however, continue to face localized violent crime challenges.".
So, what does this all mean? Without directly comparing the numbers, I think it shows Aurora is generally in the same boat as other communities its size. It is, however, important to note that the city hasn't recorded a murder in nearly six months.
Based solely on the FBI chart, it seems that aurora has done well in reducing property crime, but, sadly, has done significantly worse, in comparison to other cities, in reducing violent crime year over year (murders and aggravated assaults.) I don’t know about you, but I would much rather have my home/car broken into then being attacked or murdered. But perhaps you’re different!
So in other words...thank goodness...Aurora is doing better than Rockford????
Aurora
12 murders up by 8
172 robberies down by 6
589 aggravated assaults up by 58
4,507 property crimes down by 429
921 burglaries up by 6
3,321 larcenies/thefts down by 413
265 motor vehicle thefts down by 20
23 arsons down by 1
I am very curious why the "rape" and "violent crimes" categories are completely blank for everyone except Rockford. What category are they falling under for everyone else these days? Or are we to believe these never happen in Aurora?
Wow. Isn’t comparing this type of reporting exactly why this data is collected? Let me draw a parallel another way. Please consider the Illinois School District report cards. Now, would we find it interesting if the school board made the following statement:
Comparisons lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting communities and their [education]. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the range of unique conditions affecting each local [school district].
Now isn’t the crime rate, and school district, a main factor in determining where a person relocates?