Only 1.5% of the 1,552 motor vehicle thefts reported in Community Area 28 resulted in an arrest. That is 24 arrests out of more than 1,500 reports. Across the city, incident volume and clearance rates fluctuate wildly depending on the neighborhood.
Bottom line: Chicago motor vehicle theft incidents vary significantly by geography, with Community Area 28 logging the highest volume (1,552) but one of the lowest arrest rates (1.5%). Meanwhile, proactive offenses like narcotics and weapons violations in areas like Community Area 40 routinely yield arrest rates exceeding 70%.
Overview of Motor Vehicle Theft Incidents Across Chicago Community Areas
When analyzing Motor Vehicle Theft records in municipal open data, the numbers reveal sharp geographic divides. Some neighborhoods see fewer than 100 reports, while others count well over a thousand. This disparity defines the reality of chicago crime statistics by community area.
Here is the thing: high incident volume does not dictate high arrest volume.
Two neighborhoods can experience the exact same number of stolen vehicles but see entirely different law enforcement outcomes. Community Area 67 logged 555 incidents with a 4.0% arrest rate, while neighboring Community Area 66 logged 559 incidents but only achieved a 2.9% arrest rate.
| Community Area | Offense Type | Total Incidents | Arrests | Arrest Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Area 28 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 1,552 | 24 | 1.5% |
| Community Area 29 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 657 | 39 | 5.9% |
| Community Area 22 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 654 | 25 | 3.8% |
| Community Area 66 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 559 | 16 | 2.9% |
| Community Area 67 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 555 | 22 | 4.0% |
| Community Area 51 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 357 | 6 | 1.7% |
| Community Area 48 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 344 | 5 | 1.5% |
| Community Area 63 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 274 | 9 | 3.3% |
| Community Area 21 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 261 | 10 | 3.8% |
| Community Area 18 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 98 | 1 | 1.0% |
| Community Area 11 | Motor Vehicle Theft | 92 | 4 | 4.3% |
Community Area 28: Highest Reported Motor Vehicle Thefts
The data points directly to an outlier. The chicago community area 28 motor vehicle theft total sits at 1,552 incidents. This dwarfs every other neighborhood in this dataset by a massive margin.
But there is a catch. Despite the sheer volume of stolen vehicles, police made only 24 arrests.
For property owners and auto insurers, this indicates a high-risk zone with minimal recovery or enforcement outcomes. When 98.5% of incidents close without an arrest, the financial burden falls entirely on victims and their insurance carriers. This drives up comprehensive coverage premiums for every driver registered in that zip code.
Motor Vehicle Theft Arrest Rates by Community Area
Looking broadly at motor vehicle theft arrest rates chicago, the baseline clearance is consistently in the single digits. However, the exact percentage swings based on location.
Community Area 29 leads this specific dataset with a 5.9% arrest rate. Officers there made 39 arrests out of 657 reported incidents. Community Area 11 follows closely at 4.3%, despite having a much lower total volume of 92 incidents.
The result? A localized enforcement gap where your neighborhood determines the likelihood of a suspect being caught.
Consider the lowest performers in the data:
- Community Area 18: 98 incidents, 1 arrest (1.0%).
- Community Area 28: 1,552 incidents, 24 arrests (1.5%).
- Community Area 48: 344 incidents, 5 arrests (1.5%).
- Community Area 51: 357 incidents, 6 arrests (1.7%).
Offense Mix in Community Area 40
To understand how motor vehicle theft compares to other crimes, we have to look at a neighborhood's total public safety profile. The community area 40 chicago offense mix logged 4,374 total incidents across various categories.
Community Area 40 shows exactly how different offense types generate vastly different arrest outcomes. Battery is the most common reported offense, logging over a thousand incidents, but the arrest ratios tell a deeper story about policing mechanics.
| Offense Type | Total Incidents | Arrests |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 1,043 | 169 |
| Other Offense | 332 | 66 |
| Weapons Violation | 197 | 139 |
| Burglary | 126 | 9 |
| Narcotics | 102 | 97 |
| Criminal Trespass | 64 | 20 |
| Criminal Sexual Assault | 40 | 2 |
| Public Peace Violation | 25 | 20 |
| Homicide | 15 | 5 |
| Arson | 6 | 2 |
Comparing Arrest Efficacy for Motor Vehicle Theft and Other Offenses
The contrast between property crimes and proactive policing categories is sharp. While motor vehicle theft arrest rates hover between 1% and 6% citywide, other offenses in Community Area 40 clear at massive rates.
Truth is: the nature of the crime dictates the arrest probability.
Officers made arrests in 95% of Narcotics incidents (97 arrests on 102 reports). Weapons Violations saw a 70.5% arrest rate (139 arrests on 197 reports). Public Peace Violations resulted in arrests 80% of the time (20 arrests on 25 reports). These are typically officer-initiated encounters where the discovery of the crime and the arrest happen simultaneously.
Conversely, reactive property crimes mirror the low clearance rates of motor vehicle thefts. Burglary in Community Area 40 resulted in just 9 arrests out of 126 incidents—a 7.1% rate. Criminal Sexual Assault showed similarly low immediate clearance, with 2 arrests out of 40 reports.
Quick Takeaways
- Volume vs. Clearance: High incident counts do not guarantee enforcement. Community Area 28 saw 1,552 motor vehicle thefts but only a 1.5% arrest rate.
- Geographic Variance: Arrest rates for stolen vehicles range from a low of 1.0% in Community Area 18 to a high of 5.9% in Community Area 29.
- Offense Type Matters: In Community Area 40, proactive crimes like Narcotics (95%) and Weapons Violations (70.5%) dominate the arrest statistics, while reactive property crimes lag far behind.