Crime is down, FBI says

Violent crime decreased by 2.5 percent nationwide and property crime declined 1.6 percent from 2007 to 2008, according to a preliminary report issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Wednesday.

Unlike the Illinois State Police annual reports which address Illinois municipalities specifically, the FBI report provides a national snapshot of crime statistics. Comprised of data from more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies, it includes information from cities whose population is 100,000 and over. Illinois cities represented include Aurora, Elgin, Naperville, Chicago, Joliet and Rockford.

Aurora, which reported 12 murders in 2007 and two in 2008, reported a drop in all offenses except for arson, which increased from 23 in 2007 to 33 in 2008.

The murder rate remained the same in Elgin and Naperville. Each city reported two murders in 2007 and in 2008. Elgin showed an increase in aggravated assault, from 158 in 2007 to 164 in 2008, but reported declines in all other categories. Naperville reported an increase in robbery from 17 cases to 23, aggravated assault from 76 to 92, property crime from 2,332 to 2,431, and burglary from 250 to 322.

Violent crime decreased in all four regions of the country, preliminary statistics showed. However, the report indicated slight increases in murder in the Midwest (0.4 percent) and Northeast (0.7 percent).