Thefts up, violent crime at 20-year low in Elgin

Thefts and reports of shots fired increased last year in Elgin, but violent crimes were at a 20-year low.

There were 2,200 crimes reported in 2014 in Elgin, a 2 percent increase compared to 2,152 in 2013, according to data released by the police department Thursday. Crime in 2014 was at its second-lowest in 40 years, with 2013 being the lowest on record.

"(2013) was a such a good year. That's why it went up a little bit," Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said, adding the data points to more positives than negatives.

The vast majority of crimes committed were thefts, which totaled 1,233 last year - an 11 percent increase - followed by 357 burglaries to motor vehicles and 299 burglaries. Residential and commercial burglaries were also at a 20-year low.

A significant portion of thefts in Elgin were retail thefts, of which 51 percent took place at Wal-Mart on Randall Road, police said.

Retailers typically report thefts only when they have video evidence or stop the perpetrators, Cmdr. Ana Lalley said. Elgin police kicked off a "merchant meetings" series last year, which gives retailers tips on camera placement, spotting suspicious activity and more, she said.

There were 44 incidents of shots fired last year in Elgin - confirmed by either witnesses or evidence such as bullet holes or shell casings - compared to 41 in 2013. About half were gang-related, taking place primarily in the near west and southeast sides, with the rest scattered throughout the city, Lalley said.

"The ability to carry guns in public has increased (with the state's concealed carry law). Where before you kept it in your house, now you can carry it in public," Swoboda said. "When and if that is a correlation, we don't know."

There were 218 incidents of violent crime - homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, batteries and assaults - in 2014 compared to 240 in 2013.

There were three homicides in Elgin last year, same as in 2012 and 2013.

William Donald was charged with the murder of Anthony Nunez; still unsolved are the killing of Alberto Prado, believed to be gang-motivated, and the death of Carmelo Maldonado, who succumbed to injuries sustained during a home invasion, police said.

Sexual assaults decreased by 27 percent, and in all cases the perpetrators knew the victims or were connected to them by circumstances such as attending the same party, police said. The only violent crime category that posted an increase was robberies, by 3 percent.

Gang-motivated felonies and misdemeanors decreased compared to 2013, and gang graffiti increased to 99 from 59 incidents.

Arrests of perpetrators in gang-motivated crimes also decreased, but that's partly due to how difficult it is to catch those who draw graffiti, Lalley said.

Burglaries to motor vehicles were up 3 percent, but the vast majority typically takes place with unlocked vehicles, Swoboda said.

"We are continuing to give the same message - locking your car doors, shutting your garage door at night, turning on the lights on your front porch, generally reporting suspicious behavior," Swoboda said.

The police department began an initiative last year to follow up on juvenile arrests with phone calls to parents six months later. The goal is to provide families with any information or referral to resources they may need, Lalley said. The program started in April, with the first phone calls in October.

"We didn't get here just by arresting people," Swoboda said of the decrease in serious crime. "We did it by changing behavior, by working with kids, and that's a huge part of what we're doing."