2016 FBI Crime Report: Rapes Rise, Robberies Fall In Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — While newly published statistics show violent crime increased nationally for the second consecutive year, it stayed largely stable in Evanston. The new data shows reports of robberies, property crimes and thefts are all down in Evanston, but the number of reported rapes, stolen cars and arson have increased. The FBI released its annual Crime in the United States report Monday, compiling information on every offense and arrest reported by more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies who take part in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The following data comes from that report.

There were 130 violent crimes reported in Evanston in 2016 – including robberies, aggravated assault, rape, murder and manslaughter – down from 131 in 2015 and 151 in 2014. Robberies fell to 38 in 2016, down from more than 50 in each of the prior two years. There were no rapes reported in 2015, but in 2016, Evanston registered six, twice as many as in the previous two years combined.

Two murders took place in Evanston in 2016. There had been three in 2015, and one in 2014. There were 84 aggravated assaults, up from 77 the year before, but down from 93 in 2014.

The decline in property crime mirrored a national trend, with 1,671 reported instances of property crime last year a nearly 8 percent drop from the previous year's 1815. The number of reported burglaries in 2016 rose to 329 from 313 in 2015, but was still lower than the 334 in 2014. Thefts, which make up the bull of property crimes, were down significantly, falling from 1,440 to 1,269 in 2016. There had been 1,500 thefts reported in 2014.

In 2016, motor vehicle thefts were up to 73 from 62 and 66 in the previous two years. And arson was up – 10 instances were reported in 2016, compared to 6 in 2015 and 5 in 2014. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Evanston — or your community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Nationwide, the violent crime rate rose 3.4 percent, and there were an estimated 17,250 murders in 2016, an 8.6 percent increase from 2015. The property crime rate, on the other hand, fell 2 percent compared to 2015 figures.

The FBI report shows there were an estimated 1.2 million violent crimes in the U.S. in 2016, and while those numbers rose from 2015 to 2016, the five-year trend shows an increase of 2.6 percent from 2012, and the 10-year trend shows a decrease in violent crimes of 12.3 percent from 2007. Murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault are considered by the FBI to be violent crimes.

The estimated rate of violent crime was 386.3 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the estimated rate of property crime was 2,450.7 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the FBI data. In 2015, the estimated rate of violent crime was 372.6 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the property crime rate was 2,487.0 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants.

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Experts at The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University say that overall, the data from the FBI show a decrease in the crime rate for the 15th year in a row.

The increase in the national murder rate is due in part to upticks in cities such as Chicago, accounting for more than 20 percent of the nationwide murder increase, the center explained. The 11 largest cities with populations greater than 1 million saw a 20 percent murder increase and a 7.2 percent violent crime increase. The Brennan Center says its analysis shows the murder rate increased 7.9 percent nationally, which is consistent with the FBI’s own findings. A preliminary analysis of crime in 2017 by the Brennan Center estimates that the rates of overall crime, violence and murder in the 30 largest cities will all decrease in 2017.

The overall crime rate decreased by 1.4 percent in 2016, according to the center’s analysis.

“The FBI’s data show trends similar to what we’ve found for crime, murder, and violence in 2016,” Ames Grawert, a counsel in the Brennan Center’s Justice Program, said in a statement. “Crime remains near historic lows, with an uptick in murder and violence driven in part by problems in some of our nation’s largest cities. At the same time, other cities like New York are keeping crime down.”

The FBI said that of the 18,481 agencies eligible to participate in the program, 16,782 submitted data in 2016.

“For the sake of all Americans, we must confront and turn back the rising tide of violent crime. And we must do it together,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with our state, local, and tribal partners across the country to deter violent crime, dismantle criminal organizations and gangs, stop the scourge of drug trafficking, and send a strong message to criminals that we will not surrender our communities to lawlessness and violence.”

The Trump administration has warned of a crime wave, and President Donald Trump has often singled out the city of Chicago, threatening to send in the feds to combat the violent crime.

In its analysis, the Brennan Center found that gun violence accounted for 93 percent of the increase in murders.

Patch editor Feroze Dhanoa contributed

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