Report of Crime and Security Information––1998 Calendar Year

The following report, prepared by the South East Chicago Commission, provides a statistical overview of reported violent crimes that occurred in the Hyde Park–South Kenwood community during calendar year 1998. Violent crime includes murder, sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault. For the purposes of this report, the borders of Hyde Park–South Kenwood are 47th Street to 61st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue to Lake Michigan. Total population in Hyde Park–South Kenwood is estimated at 41,200.

This report also compares the crime rate in 1998 to rates in previous years and, for this year only, to other parts of the city of Chicago.

Trends in Hyde Park–South Kenwood over time

Total reported violent crime in the Hyde Park–South Kenwood community declined 12.7 percent between calendar years 1997 and 1998 to the lowest level since the SECC began collecting data in 1975. Since 1991, the number of robberies, the most common violent crime, has declined 48 percent. Four homicides were reported in 1998 and one homicide in 1997. Fourteen sexual assaults were reported in 1998, the same number as reported in 1997. This is the lowest number of sexual assaults on record. There were 243 robberies in 1998, a 30 percent drop from the 348 in 1997. Aggravated assaults increased to 191 in 1998 from 155 in 1997, an increase of 23 percent.

Rate of crime in Hyde Park–South Kenwood and elsewhere in Chicago

How does the Hyde Park–South Kenwood community compare to other areas in the city of Chicago? Currently, the Chicago Police Department does not routinely maintain crime data for neighborhood areas such as Hyde Park, Lincoln Park, Rogers Park or Lake View. Rather, the Chicago Police Department maintains data by police districts, which are larger than neighborhoods. The Hyde Park–South Kenwood crime data reported in this analysis is gathered by the SECC based on a special analysis of police reports.

The accompanying table compares the rate of violent crime per 100,000 population in the Hyde Park–South Kenwood community to the city’s 25 police districts in 1998. The map shows the 25 police districts. Please take great care in making judgments based on this data. Crime rates can vary greatly within police districts and are affected by many factors, including the amount of commercial activity in a neighborhood and its daytime and evening visitor population. For example, the very low crime rate in the 16th Police District, located on the far northwest side of the city, is at least partly attributable to the low daytime population in this area.

Which neighborhoods in the city of Chicago are the most reasonable comparisons to Hyde Park–South Kenwood? The SECC believes the most appropriate comparison is with the north lakefront neighborhoods. The north lakefront neighborhoods share with Hyde Park–South Kenwood a high level of commercial activity and are homes to many members of the University community. The north lakefront communities are: East Chicago (18th District), Belmont (19th District), Foster Avenue (20th District), Rogers Park (24th District) and Town Hall (23rd District). The rate of crime per 100,000 population in Hyde Park–South Kenwood is below the average for this group, with a crime rate somewhat higher than the 19th or 20th District, almost identical to the 23rd District and well below the 18th and 24th districts.