Last week the Oak Park Police Department released data which concluded that the overall crime rate in the Village remained largely unchanged from 2017 to 2018.
The report indicated that vehicular hijackings and assault actually decreased from the previous year despite police investigating 15 more crimes in total. This news may come as surprising to a lot of Oak Parkers, some of which have been vocal about seeing an increase in robbery and theft.
Oak Park Police Chief LaDon Reynolds said the following in response:
“I understand how word of a specific crime or type of crime can shape one’s perception of personal safety. But I also believe these numbers should allay the concerns of residents whose perception of crime may be based more on news reports and social media posts. The facts related to a crime often change from the initial reports as the investigation progresses toward an arrest.”
According to the report, a total of 1,650 crimes were reported in 2018 compared to 1,635 in the prior year. Police arrested 203 more people year-to-year. A full breakdown of the crimes committed by category is broken down by the following graph:
“I know that statistics may not mean much to someone who has been a crime victim or has come face-to-face with a criminal,” said Reynolds. “That’s why fighting crimes against individuals
