Naperville Cops 'Working Diligently' After Rash Of Crimes: Chief Arres

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville police are "working diligently" to solve a string of recent crimes, Police Chief Jason Arres said in a public service video Wednesday.

Arres said community members have raised concerns in the wake of an armed robbery, an armed carjacking and a shot-fired incident. The latter took place downtown.

"We're working diligently to find the offenders in these incidents and hold each accountable, but we're also working to deter crime," Arres said.

He added that specialty and patrol units have been proactive throughout 2022, having made 1,500 more traffic stops in the first six months of the year than in 2021. Arres said the Naperville Police Department seized more illegal guns (a total of 71) in the first six months of 2022 than in the entirety of the previous year.

"What are preventing in Naperville and elsewhere by making these traffic stops and taking these illegal guns off the streets," Arres said. "I can promise you it's something."

"Context is also a critical thing when we have these micro-bursts of crime," Arres added. "These three crimes that occurred are all gun-related and what I can tell you thus far this year is that our confirmed shots-fired calls are half of what they were last year."

He said armed robberies have decreased in 2022 when compared to those reported in 2021 and 2020.

Arres said these statistics aren't meant to "minimize" the severity of the recent crimes, but rather to show that Naperville "continue[s] to remain a very safe city."

He went on to encourage residents to report any incidents to police, explaining that no one called to report a fight that broke out in a parking lot just prior to a shot-fired incident in downtown Naperville. Arres said the shot-fired suspects were likely part of the altercation.

"Getting involved in the early stages of something happening could prevent something more serious from happening later," Arres said.

Click the link to watch the full video from Chief Arres.

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