FBI 2015 Report Shows Crime Down in Oak Lawn

OAK LAWN, IL -- The FBI released its annual ”Crime in the United States 2015” report, mentioned by Hillary Clinton in last week’s presidential debate, which includes information about Oak Lawn.

The Uniform Crime Report measures crime indexes, including murder/non-negligent homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, falling under violent crime; and property crime, which includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

The FBI has also set a goal of 2021 for rolling out its first-ever, use-of-force data base, charting use of force by by the nation's law enforcement agencies.

Nationwide, the uniform crime report for 2015 indicates a 3.9 percent increase in the estimated number of violent crimes, and 2.6 percent decrease in the estimated number of property crimes last year, compared to 2014 data.

Although U.S. violent crime increased from 2014 figures (1,197,704 violent crimes were reported in the United States in 2015) the last year's violent crime total was .07 percent lower than 2011 level, and 16.5 percent below the 2006 level, according to the report.

In 2015, Oak Lawn saw 71 violent crimes, compared to the 90 reported in 2014. Of those violent crimes reported last year, there were eight rapes; 22 robberies and 41 aggravated assaults. There were no homicides in 2015, compared to the three from a domestic-related homicide in 2014.

Further, compared to 2014, Oak Lawn's saw decreases in rape (12/2014) and robberies (34/2014) in 2015. Aggravated assault remained the same as in 2014, with 41 reported.

Also, 2015 crime stats for Oak Lawn show 816 property crimes, including 107 burglaries, 671 larceny/theft, 38 motor vehicle thefts and one arson.

Comparable to national crime statistics, Oak Lawn's property crime indexes showed decreases from 2014, when 1,011 property crimes were reported.

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program has been in effect since 1930. The resulting “Crime in the United States” report is a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort by nearly 18,000 city, university and college, county,state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement agencies voluntarily report data on crimes brought to their attention over a year’s course.

The data is used to generate reliable information for use in law enforcement administration, operation and management. In recent years the data has become one of the country’s leading social indicators, the FBI says.

For more information about 2015 crime statistics in Oak Lawn and the uniform crime report, visit the FBI website.