Darien Residents 'Quite A Bit Safer': Official

DARIEN, IL — Crime has dropped over the years in Darien, meaning residents are "quite a bit safer," the police chief said this week.

In a report to the City Council, Chief Greg Thomas said violent crime has fallen 43 percent year to date, compared with last year.

In 2021, total crime is down 43 percent year to date. The decrease is even more dramatic long-term — total crime has dropped 30 percent in five years and 58 percent in 10 years, Thomas said.

"Crime is coming down very well in the city of Darien," he said. "People are quite a bit safer."

Traffic crashes have also fallen — down 17 percent from five years ago, Thomas said.

Also, the number of traffic enforcement actions such as tickets and warnings is 4,403 year to date in 2021. That compares to 1,808 in 2020 and 1,738 in 2016.

"Officers are working extremely well, couldn't be more proud of them," said Thomas, who was hired more than five years ago. "The officers out there are working very hard, and we're having some good results."

The reduction has happened while the department has had the same number of sworn officers — 34, he told Patch in an interview.

At the meeting, Mayor Joseph Marchese said he was happy to hear the figures.

"We live in a town where certain types of crimes are anomalies, but when they occur, people think that things are really turning bad. That's because we live in a community where it is so low," the mayor said.