Chicago has recently experienced a dramatic decline in robbery numbers, reaching historic lows after nearly three years of surging crime.
From September 2021 to June 2024, the city’s robbery statistics showed an almost continuous year-over-year increase, with peak incidents reaching 1,213 in August 2023.
However, a turning point occurred in July 2023, when robbery numbers began to plummet, leading to a consistent double-digit decrease each month since then.
The first quarter of 2025 has recorded the fewest robberies for any quarter in decades.
Wesley G. Skogan, an emeritus political scientist at Northwestern University, commented on the significant impact the pandemic had on crime rates, noting, “You could see the impact of COVID on crime.
Burglary went way down, but street robbery went way up.”
As citizens returned to a more typical lifestyle post-pandemic, various factors contributed to improved safety, according to Skogan.
“Schools are open. Violence interruption is more common than it was before.
Youth and recreational services are back. The police are working more reasonable hours, and their activity — traffic stops, arrests, speeding tickets — has been creeping back up toward normal.”
Illinois law defines robbery as taking property from someone by using or threatening force, and the analyzed statistics from Chicago include attempted robberies alongside both armed and unarmed incidents.
Notably, carjackings have also seen a decline of over 50% this year.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has attributed the falling robbery numbers to the city’s newly established “robbery task force,” implemented by the Chicago Police Department last May.
“Nothing is more important to me than the safety and well-being of all our residents,” said Johnson, speaking about the task force while addressing U.S. House committee members regarding immigration policies on March 5.
When approached for more details about the task force, including the number of officers involved and specific actions leading to the decrease in robbery rates, a spokesperson for the police department refrained from comment.
However, the department previously described the task force’s responsibilities as comprising of “on-the-ground missions and investigations” conducted by a variety of officers, including detectives, patrol officers, and counterterrorism personnel.
In a report published in January, the police department cited that the task force had solved 158 robbery-related cases and identified 12 robbery patterns.
On April 11, a police department news release noted the swift arrest of two boys, aged 16 and 17, less than 20 minutes after they had robbed three men at gunpoint in the Logan Square neighborhood.
Analyzing robbery data for the 12 months ending March 31, it was found that over three-quarters of Chicago’s community areas reported fewer robberies compared to the previous year.
Significant reductions of over 50% were observed in areas such as Avondale, Brighton Park, Dunning, Forest Glen, Hermosa, Hyde Park, Logan Square, and Pilsen.
Conversely, a few areas saw increases of more than 10%, including Avalon Park, Burnside, Edgewater, Fuller Park, Hegewisch, the Loop, and Norwood Park.
Among these, the Loop recorded the highest increase in raw numbers, with 60 more robberies than in the previous year, translating to a 21.6% rise.
The robbery rates per 10,000 residents registered the highest figures in Fuller Park (302), West Garfield Park (109), East Garfield Park (95), Englewood (93), and North Lawndale (92).
Despite these figures, all areas, except Fuller Park, experienced fewer robberies than the previous year.
Damien Morris, head of a publicly funded anti-violence initiative at Breakthrough Ministries in East Garfield Park, observed a trend of younger individuals engaging in robbery, carjacking, and assaults.
His team identified hot spots for crime and established “pop-ups” to distribute information and engage in conversations about strategies to avoid becoming victims of such crimes.
Morris remarked, “We engaged with the men and women whose activities may seem high risk,” pointing out the prevalence of public dice games.
Overall, robberies are part of a wider decrease in violent crime across Chicago, with murders seeing a nearly 24% reduction compared to the same period last year, according to city data.
A crime data analyst based in New Orleans shared with WBEZ that the decrease in violent crime in Chicago aligns with a broader national trend.
image source from：https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2025/04/17/chicagos-robbery-surge-is-over
