Racial link to crime questioned

DuPage County's "relatively small" Hispanic and black populations are among the reasons the crime rate is low and will remain that way, a consultant's study suggests.

The 158-page study released last week recommended against building a new jail. One of the reasons is the scarcity of crime in DuPage, the report states.

The MGT of America report cites the small Hispanic and African-American populations, an older median age, high annual household income and expensive owner-occupied housing as countywide trends that won't require an expansion of the existing jail or construction of a new jail.

The implication that more minorities means more crime brought reactions ranging from raised eyebrows among some county officials to harsh condemnation by advocacy groups to indifference from the county board's lone Hispanic member.

MGT partner Karl Becker acknowledged the report was lacking supporting data regarding the minority population assessment, but said he stood by the report's conclusions.

"Could it have been spelled out in more detail? It probably should have taken some time to go into that," Becker said. "I can certainly understand, if you take that statement out of context and don't have the background knowledge … why there may be some misinterpretation of what that actually means."

The report's authors said the study is about space needs -- not ethnic makeup -- so they didn't delve into demographic data.

"The fact is that African-Americans and Hispanics have a higher incarceration rate than whites," Becker said. "Younger people have a higher incarceration rate. There are all kinds of sociological factors."

Other jail population researchers said the inclusion of the county's racial statistics was odd.

"If there's some concern in the county that minorities are staying in jail longer, it fits," said Paul Guerin, a researcher for the New Mexico Sentencing Commission. "But whether the population of minorities is growing or is stable, I'm not sure how that relates to the jail population."

County board Chairman Robert Schillerstrom doesn't agree with the report's assessment of the county's minority population.

"I know we have a substantial growing minority population and I also know that with that growing population our crime rate remains low," he said.

Officials from minority advocacy groups said such blanket statements about minority populations and crime perpetuate stereotypes.

"A more correct indicator is median income," said Abel Nunez, associate director of Centro Romero, a Chicago immigrant advocacy group. "It's dangerous for us because, as we're coming into those areas, we're seen as a danger to that community."

Becker said the report cites DuPage's high-median income as a contributing factor to the county's low crime rate and the fact the that low minority population is listed ahead of the income data doesn't mean it's more significant information.

"They weren't meant to be prioritized," he said. "In terms of presenting, it's not the largest factor."

Becker said the county's median age of 37 -- which is older than other neighboring counties, according to the report -- probably plays a larger factor than the county's ethnic makeup.

A check of the jail's population Wednesday showed 815 inmates. More than 70 percent of those inmates were younger than the county's median age, the sheriff's office reported. DuPage County residents made up 70 percent of the inmates.

Ethnic statistics of inmates at the DuPage County jail is limited because the sheriff's office doesn't have a mechanism to track Hispanic inmates.

Bill Simmons was the first black police officer in DuPage County and is now the chief of criminal investigations for the county state's attorney's office. He said the assessment of the county's minority population in the report is flawed.

"That's wrong in my eyes," he said. "It does perpetuate a stereotype, and if people would sit down and dissect the report, it's wrong."

The report was released to the county board's judicial and public safety committee Tuesday.

Board member Yolanda Campuzano said she didn't view the report as being derogatory to minorities.

"I don't see it as a stereotype at all," she said. "I look at it as a study, I don't see it as racial or a conflict. This study helps us see where we are actually providing a good quality of life."

Board member Linda Kurzawa is the committee's vice chairman and she said she was "a bit surprised" by the statement during MGT's presentation.

"It sort of jumped out at me as well," she said. "If I had seen it ahead of time, I probably would have said something about it."

Hispanic residents make up about 11 percent of the county's population, while black residents account for 4 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

According to the census data, DuPage County's Hispanic population increased by 26 percent from 2000 to 2006, from roughly 81,000 to more than 110,000 people. The black population has increased 36 percent during the same time, from 27,600 to 40,000 residents.

Meanwhile, criminal case filings in DuPage County have remained at about 13,100 between 2001 and 2006, according to statistics from the Administrative Offices of the Illinois Courts.