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.

Robberies in Wrigleyville + Boystown By Month And Year
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec TOTAL
2001 9 8 9 9 11 8 15 13 20 24 15 14 155
2002 13 9 15 20 12 16 18 28 12 17 24 20 204
2003 4 6 4 13 10 15 20 13 14 17 14 13 143
2004 11 5 9 9 14 11 22 10 24 14 23 8 160
2005 12 8 15 9 12 16 20 27 11 11 17 13 171
2006 18 10 8 11 6 14 21 15 9 11 16 7 146
2007 3 1 5 7 17 20 14 5 24 13 17 9 135
2008 9 7 11 10 18 16 16 17 21 27 16 16 184
2009 6 13 13 11 17 15 18 20 17 8 13 13 164
2010 12 4 13 13 13 16 14 14 26 18 26 12 181
2011 14 9 11 16 21 28 19 21 20 30 20 18 227
2012 9 9 21 13 23 38 33 31 15 14 16 12 234
2013 27 11 8 6 19 30 29 38 26 21 11 14 240
2014 9 3 8 9 13 25 19 15 11 18 14 13 157
2015 8 4 4 6 9 10 18 17 21 16 5 10 128
2016 18 18
Red denotes the 10 worst months (with ties) Green denotes the 10 best months (with ties)
Source: City of Chicago Data Portal. Current Chicago Police Department beat numbers 1923, 1924, and 1925 constitute “Wrigleyville and Boystown” for statistical purposes. The boundaries are Belmont, Southport, Irving Park, and Lake Michigan.
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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com