Uniform Crime Report: Index Crime Rates for Homewood, Illinois - Research Paper Example

?Uniform Crime Report Index Crime Rates for Homewood, Illinois Background Homewood, Illinois is a small village within Cook County, approximately 25 miles south of Chicago’s Loop. It prides itself on having nationally acclaimed schools, as well as a good park district and being friendly to commuters. The village has won awards for being one of the most livable suburbs in the Midwest, as well as for their school districts and park districts. The current population of the village is 19,543. One of the biggest focuses of the village is the sense of community, the idea that there is strong connection between members of the population . The median resident age is 39.8 years, which is older than the median age for the state, of 34.7 years. Sixty-two percent of the population identifies themselves as being white, 28% black and seven percent Hispanic. The remainder identify themselves as either other races or as two or more races Each year the Illinois State Police produces a Uniform Crime Report, which highlights statistics and topics that are of interest in regards to criminal statistics and data .This report looks at the crime rates for Homewood, Illinois between the period of 2008 and 2009, what the trends in these have been, what the driving factors are and what impact the rate of crime has on school quality, property values and the quality of life within the village. Are the major crime rates going up, down or are they remaining stable? Between the years of 2008 and 2009 the crime rate per 100,000 individuals increased from 3,702 to 4,332 which represented a total increase from 684 cries to 806 crimes. There was no murder within the village in either year, sexual assault increased from three crimes to seven, robbery from 19 to 27 crimes, theft from 532 to 627 and theft of motor vehicles from 19 to 41. The amount of arsons actually decreased from four incidences in 2008 to 2009, and burglaries decreased from 96 to 93. In general, rates of major crime increased from 2008 to 2009. When multiple years are taken into account a clearer picture of crime rates and trends can be obtained. The number of rapes has been very sporadic with some years having no rapes, others having a little below 40. There appears to be no clear time trend in relation to rape, although it is important to note that this may also reflect variation in the frequency of rapes being reported rather than the events themselves. Robberies have shown a significant increase from the early 2000’s to the late, but from 2006 to 2009 there appears to be a trend of decreasing robberies. Conversely, the number of burglaries appears to be rising, although the rate is slow. While other crime rates are below, often well below the average for the United States, the thefts per 100,000 population is significantly higher than the average and has been every year since 1999. In some years the difference is above 1,000 thefts. Why is the crime rate high or low? The crime index for the village for the year of 2008 was 284.8; there was no available data for 2009. This crime index indicates the level of crime and can be compared between different cities and states; the higher the number, the higher the level of crime. The average crime index for the United States is 319.2, which Homewood is significantly lower than. This indicates that, in general, the level of crime is lower for Homewood, Illinois than it is elsewhere in the country. When this figure is compared against the nationwide average across multiple years, the crime index has been lower than the average (often by a large amount) every year from 1999 to 2008, with the exception of 2006 . The population in Homewood is highly educated, with more than 90% of those over 25 having graduated high school, and more than 40% having a Bachelor’s degree or higher . It has been shown that education reduces levels of crime, with individuals with higher education less likely to commit crime than those with less or no education . This is likely to be one driving factor towards the low level of crime in Homewood, Illinois. Another factor is the close-knit way of life, strong community values and focus on family and community. These factors have been shown to significantly reduce levels of crime in individual neighborhoods and of the community as a whole . One final potential indicator is the age of residents. People of Homewood are on average older than in the rest of the United States, with the median age in Homewood approximately five years above the median for the state. This may be an important factor as there is a tendency for youth to be more spontaneous and to get involved in trouble at a higher level than those older. Surprisingly, there are less police officers per 1000 residents in Homewood (2.02) than is the average for Illinois (2.86) . It could be expected that the lower number of police officers per individual would result in a higher level of crime; however this does not appear to be the case. In fact it may be that there are fewer police officers as the level of crime is lower; consequently, there is not as much need. What impact do the crime rates have on quality of life, property values and schools in Homewood, Illinois? The low rate of crime has appeared to have a significant impact on many parts of life within Homewood, Illinois. Quality of life in the village is high, and it is promoted as a safe, family friendly community. The low rates of crime have resulted in the village being renowned for a good school system . The average price of houses in Homewood has been decreasing since 2006. This trend does not appear to be significantly linked to crime rates, as crime rates for the village in general do not show a strong trend of increase over the same time period . Instead, the trend of decreased prices is likely being driven by the same drivers that are responsible for the nationwide decrease in house prices such as lower value to the dollar, a difficult financial climate and increases to the cost of living. Conclusion Over the period of 2008 to 2009 crime rates in general for Homewood, Illinois rose, with rises in the number of most types of crimes. When the crime level for the village was compared to average levels for the United States it was clear that the village has lower than average rates of crime. This is likely to be connected to the community nature of Homewood, as well as the higher average age and higher education levels. These low levels of crime are likely to have contributed to the good school system that is present as well as a high quality of living. House prices are decreasing, which is likely to be caused not by crime, but by the poor financial situation within the country in general. References Read More