Police: Crime Down In Chicago For July
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police say crime was down in Chicago for the month of July, making it the 31st month in a row that's happened.
As WBBM Newsradio's Keith Johnson reports, Chicago Police say homicide was down about 7 percent in July, with 19 fewer murders compared to this time last year.
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Robbery and criminal sexual assault were both down, aggravated battery dropped nearly 12 percent, and aggravated assault was down 11 percent.
Crime statistics also say the most significant drop in property offenses was in theft, with a nearly 7 percent decline.
But burglary was up, and motor vehicle theft was up about 17 percent in July.
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reported Monday night that in the West Side's Grand Central District, officers say they get about three or four auto theft walk-ins a day – just on third watch. Six months into the year, they had nearly 900 of the roughly 10,000 car thefts in Chicago.
Police say they don't have one particular cause for the year-to-year increase in car theft. But they say they are responding. In June and July, they arrested at least six people tied to auto-theft rings or chop shops.
