Local Crime Up 22% This Year, City Data Shows

Crime in Chicago’s 44th Ward, which includes most of Wrigleyville and Boystown, is up 22% this year, according to the Chicago Police Department. And the biggest increases have been seen in some of the most serious crimes, including robbery and burglary.

Map of the 44th Ward (Google)

Robberies are up over 300% in the ward, jumping from 7 in January 2015 to 22 this year.

Burglaries—mostly home break-ins—are up over 100%, rising from 16 to 33.

Aggravated batteries jumped from 5 last year to 8.

Less-serious crimes have also seen significant jumps. Criminal damage to property is up over 100%, with 52 cases reported last month compared to 23 in January 2015.

Among the handful of crime categories seeing decreases this year are criminal sexual assault, down from 2 to 1 and narcotics, which saw 2 cases this year compared to 5 in 2015.

Overall, police recorded 322 crimes in the ward during January, up from 264 during the same month last year.

The 44th ward has been represented by Tom Tunney since January 2003.

Robberies Soar In Wrigleyville, Boystown

Wrigleyville and Boystown—which falls largely in the 44th ward, but also stretches into the 46th ward—saw a significant spike in robberies last month, with 18 cases reported. That’s more than double last January’s count of 8 robberies. It is also one of the three worst Januaries on record for the crime.

The neighborhood recorded a record low robbery count last year, a welcome change in the wake of three consecutive years of record-highs.

But analysis shows that nearly all of last year’s improvement came in the first six months, when the neighborhoods saw a 50% drop in muggings. The second half of 2015 recorded only 3 fewer robberies than the same period in 2014, possibly indicating that police efforts to rectify the problem have stalled.