Bolingbrook Cops: Crime Rate Lowest in 20 Years

BOLINGBROOK, IL — Bolingbrook's crime rate dropped about 2 percent in 2016, reaching its lowest rate in the last two decades, according to data released Tuesday by the Bolingbrook Police Department.

Bolingbrook recently submitted its 2016 crime statistics to the FBI for its annual Uniform Crime Report, showing a crime rate of 14.86 crimes per 1,000 residents — the lowest in 20 years and a 30 percent drop compared with a decade ago. The crime rate has dropped steadily each year for the last 11, according to police.

“This is great news for everyone in Bolingbrook,” Mayor Roger Claar said in a news release. “I’m very grateful for the hard work of the brave men and women of the Bolingbrook Police Department.”

Data submitted to the FBI includes the total number of "Part I" crimes, which include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated battery, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson. In 2016, Bolingbrook reported 1,105 "Part I" crimes, down 2.04 percent compared with 2015. Crime was also down significantly from 2005, when the village reported 1,519 such crimes, along with a crime rate of 21.81 and a population of 69,662 compared with the current estimated population of 74,356.

The 2016 stat is the "lowest 'raw' number of Part l (crimes) since 1994, when there were 1,089," police said. Back then, the population stood at 45,138, for a higher crime rate of 24.13 per 1,000 people.

One-third of the reported crimes in 2016 were for shoplifting, which officials said is due to Bolingbrook's large number of retail establishments, including The Promenade Bolingbrook.

“We remain focused on continuing to reduce crime and improving the quality of life for all of our residents.” Public Safety Director Tom Ross said. “We will continue to work hard concentrating on community engagement and pro-active patrols to prevent criminal activity."