Local News
| More

Chicago Homicides Up 60 Percent in 3 Months

BY: | April 12, 2012



CHICAGO (AP) — Homicides in Chicago spiked by 60 percent during the first three months of the year despite an increase in police resources in some of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, according to new police crime statistics.

The Chicago Police Department data showed that nonfatal shootings also rose sharply in the first quarter compared with the same three months in 2011.

Chicago police and Mayor Rahm Emanuel say the city has increased efforts to combat gang crime, including adding officers and other resources in trouble spots such as the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. Police blame much of the violence on the city's more than 70 active gangs and their tens of thousands of members. The mayor has urged residents to take a stand against gangs in their communities.

The police statistics show 120 homicides from Jan. 1 through April 1, compared with 75 over the same period in 2011.

One criminologist said unseasonably warm weather might have contributed to the spike.

"In better weather, people are outside more, interacting more with neighbors, acquaintances, even strangers, and there's greater opportunity for conflict than when it's cold and windy," James Alan Fox told the Chicago Tribune.

Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University in Boston, cautioned that it's too early to draw hard conclusions from three months of data, noting that the number of homicides in Chicago has been at historic lows in recent years.

All six other crime categories tracked in the police statistics were down, including a 15 percent decline in sexual assaults and a 9 percent drop in robberies. Car thefts declined 16 percent to 4,081.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for updates.

The Associated Press


Twitter: @AP

Comments



Add Your Comment

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. GOVERNING reserves the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.

Comments must be fewer than 2000 characters.
Most Viewed
This Section    |    Whole Site
Comments


Featured on Governing.com





GOVERNING Data

Events & Webinars

  • High-Performance Government - Building "Better, Faster, Cheaper"
  • June 20, 2013
  • Nationally, six straight years of revenue declines have put enormous pressure on state and local governments, nevertheless, some are thriving. Standard & Poor's, the credit-rating agency, reports that it issued more bond upgrades than downgrades in 2012.

  • Health Care Reform is Here: Are You Ready for the Rush?
  • June 27, 2013
  • The Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act are in full swing. With the influx of people who will be applying for benefits and the ACA requirement for online enrollment, it is more important than ever to verify the identities of those accessing benefits up front.

More Events & Webinars


© 2011 e.Republic, Inc. All Rights reserved.    |   Privacy Policy   |   Site Map