The number of crimes reported in McHenry County increased slightly in 2000, according to state figures just released, continuing a decadelong rise that authorities say is inevitable with the population growth that has transformed the once-rural area.
But as the number of crimes rose, the crime rate?the average number of crimes per capita?has declined overall during the past decade, according to the Illinois State Police Crime Report.
The decline in the crime rate may be viewed as part of a nationwide trend during the past decade or an indication that the people moving into McHenry County generally are not committing many crimes, experts said.
But when it comes to theft, local law-enforcement officials said the latest figures reveal a vulnerable side.
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Thefts accounted for about 80 percent of major crime reported in the county, according to the state report. McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren said part of the reason is a no-longer realistic approach to security. County old-timers leave their homes and car doors unlocked, he said. Newcomers are lulled into thinking they live in a crime-free zone.
Many police departments in the county are working on what officers call “target hardening,” or giving people tips to keep doors locked and valuables stowed, Nygren said.
“Criminals are people who look for easy pickings, and if you are easy pickings, you are going to become a victim,” Nygren said.
Last year, there was an average of 21.4 crimes reported per 1,000 people in McHenry County, according to the annual state crime survey. A decade earlier?before the county’s population had swelled by more than 76,000, or enough people to populate Arlington Heights?those same state measurements put the crime rate at 27.7.
In 2000, 57 more major crimes were reported than in 1999, a 1 percent increase. In 1999, the 5,514 recorded crimes represented an 11 percent increase from 1998.
“McHenry County is by far the safest county in the Chicago area, in my opinion,” State’s Atty. Gary Pack said. “Is it changing? A little bit.”
Much of that change is being wrought by thieves who have plagued law enforcement by purloining everything from street signs to children’s bikes and department store merchandise. An average of 12 thefts were reported every day in 2000 in the county, according to state figures. That represents a 4.5 percent increase from 1999. Crystal Lake alone recorded about a quarter of those thefts, with an average of three a day.
Strip malls targeted
Police Chief Ron Sheley said the city’s strip malls are frequent targets because of their unattended cars, preoccupied shoppers and busy store clerks. In five years, the Crystal Lake Police Department has expanded its bike patrol from one to five officers, who often scour the seas of parked cars looking for prowlers. One officer rides a motorized bike that can speed up in short bursts to catch thieves.
Motor vehicle thefts also rose countywide, to 173 from 170 the year before.
Violent crime, many officials say, remains low. In 2000, there was one homicide in the county: In September, Paul K. Bastian, 47, was shot in a Lake in the Hills apartment. In 1999, the county logged two homicides.
There was a jump in robberies, to 34 in 2000 from 23 the year before. Most of them occur in businesses and branch banks along the county’s growing commercial thoroughfares, the sheriff said. Again, Crystal Lake tallied the most, with eight.
The Crystal Lake police chief said many of the robberies were at convenience stores. He said investigators believe one person could be responsible for as many as four. Robberies, like thefts, are perhaps the most noticeable result of increased development in any area, he said.
“We’ve had an increase in population and commercial enterprises and parking lots, and people who come in and out of here everyday to shop,” Sheley said.
Sexual assaults rise
Reports of criminal sexual assault increased to 78 in 2000 from 70 the year before. County officials and emergency counselors agree that, through informal education and awareness efforts, victims of crimes such as rape are coming forward to report the crimes more than has been the case in the past.
“It’s like anything else. The more we talk about a topic, the reports increase,” said Lou Ness, executive director of Turning Point, a not-for-profit county organization that provides emergency services for rape victims.
Burglaries down
Not all crime categories increased in the county. Reports of burglaries were down 17 percent. Threats and physical violence, aggravated assault and battery fell more than 9 percent, with 262 reports in 2000. Arsons fell to 33 reports, from 35 in 1999.
Overall, local observers said, McHenry County’s crime figures could be the envy of other area communities.
“I think most of the people moving into the county?businesses or people?are doing it for the quality of life,” said Karen Patel, president of the county’s economic development corporation and a resident since the mid-1990s. “This is a group of people who already believe that crime is not acceptable.”
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