Resolution Calling for Hearing on CPD Crime Statistics
WHEREAS; The Office of the Inspector General of Chicago recently conducted an audit of the Chicago Police Department pertaining to rates and reporting of assault-related crimes that occurred in 2012, which specifically includes the crimes and attempted crimes of battery, assault, and reckless conduct; and
WHEREAS; The objectives of this audit were to determine if assault-related crimes are classified correctly under CPD guidelines, and if assault-related crime statistics are properly reported to the Illinois State Police, as per state statute, for inclusion in the FBI and State Police administered Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program; and
WHEREAS; For the purposes of accurately assessing the classification and reporting of assault-related crime statistics, the Office of the Inspector General used a sample of 383 incidents out the 83,480 total assault-related crime incidents reported in 2012; and
WHEREAS; After conducting the audit, a significant finding reported by the Office of the Inspector General is that CPD failed to properly adhere by Illinois UCR reporting rules for assault-related crimes by neglecting to count each victim in multiple victim crimes as a separate offense, resulting in a 20.8% error rate in incident reporting and a 24.2% underreporting of victim offenses. Additionally, all aggravated assaults and batteries were underreported by 5.7% and 3.2%, respectively; and
WHEREAS, the recent Chicago Magazine article entitled "The Truth About Chicago's Crime Rates" has raised further questions as to the integrity and accuracy of CPD crime classification and reporting; and
WHEREAS; Properly collecting and utilizing accurate crime data is a fundamental and integral aspect of CPD's critical public mission, and is necessary to effectively combat crime, and sustain public trust in law enforcement; and
WHEREAS; Using and providing inaccurate crime data cultivates a distorted view as to the actual ...
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