LINCOLN PARK — Reported crimes in the 43rd Ward were down 19 percent in 2015 compared to the year before, largely due to fewer thefts, according to police.
In 2015, the 43rd Ward — which includes Lincoln Park and parts of Old Town and the Gold Coast — saw a total of 2,836 reported crimes, according to Officer Chris Schenk of the Near North Police District.
That's 19 percent less than 2014, when the ward saw 3,519 total crimes, according to Schenk, who presented the data to neighbors and community leaders at a special CAPS meeting Thursday evening.
The overall drop in reported crimes is mostly due to a drop in thefts.
The area saw 369 fewer thefts, or a 22 percent drop, in 2015 compared to the year before. In 2015, 1,278 thefts were reported, compared to 1,647 in 2014.
Robberies were down, but only by three.
Here's a breakdown of the remaining categories provided:
Burglaries: 6 percent increase (In 2015, 153 were reported, compared to 142 in 2014)
Criminal Sexual Assault: 25 percent increase (In 2015, 20 were reported, compared to 15 in 2014)
Public Violence: 30 percent increase (In 2015, 30 were reported, compared to 23 in 2014)
Police in the ward made fewer arrests in 2015. Officers made 367 arrests, which is 176 fewer than the year before.
Calls for service also went down by 19 percent.
This year, car theft is on the rise, according to Cmdr. George Devereux, who said there have been a total of 13 thefts in the 1811, 1812, 1813 and 1814 Chicago police beats this year.
In "98 percent of the car thefts, the keys were left in the car and the car was running," he said.
Schenk also urged neighbors to watch out for "flier boys," or men handing out flierrs for a basketball tournament or similar event.
"That's the only thing that's popped up," he said.
In these cases, one man usually distracts the victim by talking to them about the event while the other men in the group steal the victim's belongings.
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