Hint: it's not Chicago. more ›

It's been a rough year for CPD superintendent Jody Weis, to say the least. Still under fire (literally and figuratively) about the city's homicide rate, as well as the shooting deaths of three CPD officers in a two-month span, Weis came out yesterday in defense of himself, saying that, no, actually crime is not up despite the public's perception. Said Weis: "Despite reading the screaming headlines and the nonstop coverage that these violent incidents receive — as well they should — the fact is that the decline in violence over the past two decades is significant." While this is certainly true, what Weis failed to point out is that in spite of a decline in other violent crimes, the decline in homicides plateaued - if not out-right reversed - after he took control of the department. more ›

Continuing a theme seen over the first four months of the year, crime in the city is still trending down, according to Chicago Police, but murders are still up over last year. With an overall six percent drop in crime in the first five months of 2010 over the same time period of 2009, there has also been an increase in murders: 164 so far this year compared to 158 last year. Despite the increase of overall murders over last year, the trend for the month of May remained steady compared to last year. According to Tracy Swartz, who's been doing a valiant job tracking the city's homicides for the Tribune via Red Eye (yes, that Red Eye), there were 47 murders in May 2010 which is the same as May 2009. So far in June, there have been seven reported murders; June 2009 had 46 homicides. more ›

It was a violent July, but for the first six months of 2009, crime was down overall across the city compared with the same time period in 2008. The Sun-Times has a break-down of the stats and shows a nine percent decrease in overall crime, including a three percent decrease in violent crime. more ›

A year ago, the City was reeling from two jarring violent acts: the death of Chicago Police officer Richard Francis, killed in the line of duty, and a shoot-out in the Loop following the Taste of Chicago. And while there have certainly been outbreaks of violence this year, City officials are touting new numbers that show crime is down in 2009. The first six months of the year have seen a 10.4 percent decrease in crime and a 12.7 decrease in homicides (199 versus 229 last year). Embattled police superintendent Jody Weis said, "While our ultimate goal is to see the number zero for murders in Chicago, the 12.7 percent drop in homicides through June is a positive sign that our efforts to curb violence are having an impact." more ›

Well, this wasn't the news we wanted to see going into Christmas. For the first time in five years, Chicago has eclipsed 500 murders, according to Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond. No other details are known other than that the homicide occurred last night. While these numbers are still a far cry from the bloody 90's (when homicides topped 900 a year from 1991 through 1994), it's still an uptick from last year's 443 murders and doesn't do beleaguered Chicago Police honcho Jody Weis any good. more ›