The Evanston Police Department has released the 2017 Crime Statistics for Part 1 Crimes, which are defined by the FBI as murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated battery/assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. There was a reduction in six of the eight Part 1 categories in 2017 compared to 2016. While there was a reduction in violent crime, there was an uptick in both thefts and robberies.
There was a 7.1% reduction in aggravated batteries/assaults, as compared to 2016, reflecting fewer shooting victims. There was also a 13.7% reduction in burglaries, which the Police Department said is due in part to the department’s deployment strategies and the public securing their residences and buildings.
The 4.9% increase in overall crime last year as compared to the prior year is almost entirely attributable to a 12.1 percent rise in thefts, such as retail theft, items taken from unlocked vehicles and package thefts from the common areas of buildings or outside residences. There were approximately 193 thefts from unlocked vehicles in 2017. The other Part 1 Crime to see an increase in 2017 compared to 2016 was robbery. In 2016 there were 38 robberies. In 2017 there were 40.