Story posted Thursday, November 12, 2009
Elk Grove Village Crime Rate Dips In 2008
State of Illinois crime statistics show a slight decrease in Elk Grove Village's crime rate between 2007 and 2008, but Dep. Police Chief Mike Kirkpatrick said the numbers don't really tell the tale.
The crime rate dropped in Elk Grove Village by 0.3% overall and dropped 2.7% in the highest crime area---theft---with 732 thefts in 2007 and 712 in 2008.
Other statistics were harder to quantify. The village murder rate rose 100% in 2008 because there was one murder that year and none the year before. Criminal sexual assaults increased 300% from three in 2007 to 12 in 2008 and aggravated assaults decreased 50% from 26 in 2007 to 13 in 2008.
Kirkpatrick said the simple statistics used in the state study do not reflect the severity of the crimes. He said the village sees about 25 residential burglaries a year. He said in October there were 39 vehicle burglaries and eight to garages or sheds. In 2008 the village saw 127 burglaries up from 112 in 2007.
Though the downturn in the economy has not caused an up tic in thefts, it has caused an increase in domestic violence, said Kirkpatrick, as households struggle to make bills and take their frustrations out on each other.
There has also been an increase in juvenile incidents such as vandalism, said Kirkpatrick. Unlike domestic violence, Kirkpatrick said he could not see a connection to the economy in juvenile incidents.
In other categories, robberies increased 120% from five in 2007 to 11 in 2008, motor vehicle thefts increased from 70 in 2007 to 72 in 2008 and arsons decreased from eight in 2007 to five in 2008.
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