Is Crime on the Rise in Skokie? What are the facts?

Police Chief Scarpelli and the Assistant Village Manager John Lockerby. I asked for a meeting out of frustration over what I call the “escalation of crime” in the Village of Skokie. I went in with my written agenda ready for what I thought would be a battle of sorts. Chief Scarpelli, Mr. Lockerby and I went over every issue on my agenda. As with any frustrated citizen, I certainly did not want to hear “overall crime has gone down” because in my eyes, things appeared to be the exact opposite. Well after talking and looking at figures for a total of two hours, I walked away with a sense that social media shapes our opinions more than I would like to believe. Here’s the bombshell. Now before you shake your head in disbelief, which is what I was prepared to do, here are the hard facts:

1.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 7 more burglaries than this time last year

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are even (no more and no less).

2.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 34 less burglaries than this time last year

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are down by 64 (decreased).

3.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 18 less thefts than this time last year

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are down by 50 (decrease).

4.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 70 less thefts from auto than this time last year.

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are down 98 (decrease).

5.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 2 more aggravated assault & Batteries than this time last year.

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are down by 56 (decrease).

6.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 9 more simple assaults than this time last year.

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are down by 27 (decrease).

7.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 2 less weapons charges than this time last year.

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are down by 1 (decrease)

8.      From January 1, 2013 to July 2013 Skokie has had 58 less narcotics crimes than this time last year.

Note: when calculating the 5 year average, the numbers are up by 15 (INCREASE)

All reported crimes in 2013 thru 7/31/2013 are: 2,497

All reported crimes in 2012 thru 7/31/2012 are: 2,758

Calculating the 5 year average the numbers are: 2,925

Take into account that we do not have the numbers for August 2013 to today. I am sure, based on information we have all read coupled with what we have seen on television, that the number of violent crimes will rise and this is my concern, as well as each and every Skokie resident.

As a resident of Skokie, it is still hard for me to believe the numbers and quite frankly, I would not have believed the numbers except for the fact that Police Chief Scarpelli, graciously and without hesitation, along with the Assistant Village Manager, John Lockerby, literally put the information in my hands. As much as I still want to say “Chief you are wrong,” the numbers don’t lie.

With that being said, for those who can recall, remember waiting anxiously to get the Skokie Review Newspaper every Thursday? The first thing I would do is turn to the blotter to read about the crime in Skokie during the course of a week. I don’t think I am alone in this weekly practice. With social media, Skokie residents no longer have to wait until Thursday to get the information…..we get it each day, thanks to Patch. My question is this: is it a drastic escalation of crime or is it that we get the information daily and are able to voice our opinions in writing as we post after each story? Hmmmm, that question was posed to me and here is my best answer: Skokie residents now have a sounding board thru social media to share our frustrations amongst one another. Therefore, when we see a story regarding crime, we immediately sound off which is a great thing but most times we are reading the same story with additional updates. With that said while the crime is committed, we fail at times to further read that that crime was solved within days (kudos to Skokie Police). Often times when we see activity going on in our neighborhoods we may dismiss it and then grumble to our spouses (I’m guilty of this), instead pick up the phone and call 911 and tell what you saw or think you saw and let the police analyze the information. In other words if you see something, say something! Skokie Police can’t be everywhere all the time. We can build a stronger community thru involvement. I for one, signed up yesterday to be the Block Captain because I want to see improvement.

Although “overall crime” has declined (it’s still hard for me to say that), I would be dishonest to say that I am thrilled. As a mother, I want to make sure my child grows up in a safe environment and in a community that I can be proud of. However, I feel and again this is just my opinion, Skokie Police must work with renewed effort to combat the robberies, aggravated assault/ battery and narcotics in our village. It doesn’t matter where the criminals come from, we must be strong in our convictions to confront and eliminate the threats. Even still the red flag goes up with the last shooting and the previous shootings. This must stop, period. More patrols are needed, plain and simple. The areas hardest hit must be patrolled to send the criminals a clear message. One shooting is one way too many and one armed robbery is too many, one aggravated assault is one too many. So while I can’t applaud Skokie Police just yet, I will say that while we are sleeping they are watching the criminals and they know where they are. Rest assured a change is coming, criminals can run but they certainly can’t hide….at least not for long!

Finally, we spoke about Section 8 and the rules of multi- family units. I was told that that the board is working on that. My suggestion was that if any Skokie resident has a Section 8 voucher and commits a crime, not only should the landlord get a fine, but that also the landlord should begin proceedings to evict, NO TOLERANCE. This will force the landlord to do one of two things: run a thorough background check before renting the apartment to Section 8 or lose the ability to do so in addition to paying a hefty fine. This will encourage the landlords to due proper background checks or pay hefty fines and lose his or her ability to rent to Section 8. I am told by another Skokie resident “Lisa” that this has been in the works for years.  What is the hold up? Where is the oversight? Where is the accountability? As a community we have to push this issue WITH OUR VOTES.

I walked out of that 2 hour meeting with Chief Scarpelli and John Lockerby with a new sense of shared respect and a burning desire to get more involved with my community, because after all, Skokie is worth it. I will add that instead of saying “overall crime is down,” a better choice of words may be “crime is down across the board, however, the following areas have seen an increase and we are working, to combat this issue.” Telling residents that overall crime is down just isn’t the best choice of words it’s misleading at best (not pointing fingers) and downplays what is going on for concerned residents. With a renewed sense of urgency, let's start a conversation...

P.S. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WORKS - Tactical Mission Team SGT. Bob Libit 847.418.1679 Call immediately if you see something suspicious or just call 911.

With warm regards,

Marlena Jayatilake, A Concerned Skokie Resident.