Out of 1,401 thefts reported in a single Chicago neighborhood, police made just 63 arrests. Municipal incident records reveal a stark geographic divide in how offenses cluster across the city, dictating both the volume of incidents and the likelihood of an apprehension. Tracking chicago crime by neighborhood exposes exactly where specific property and violent offenses are concentrated.
Key takeaway: Property crimes dominate the incident volume in specific community areas, with Community Area 49 logging 1,401 thefts, while violent offenses concentrate heavily elsewhere, as seen in the 1,419 battery reports from Community Area 27. Across the board, arrest rates for property crimes remain overwhelmingly in the single digits.
Theft and Criminal Trespass Hotspots: Community Area 49
Community Area 49 stands out as a primary epicenter for property and property-adjacent offenses. The area recorded 1,401 theft incidents, making it one of the most active zones for this specific charge.
But there is a catch. Out of those 1,401 incidents, officers recorded just 63 arrests. That translates to a clearance rate of 4.4% at the time of the incident report. When reviewing chicago theft incidents, this low apprehension rate shifts the financial burden heavily onto local retailers and residents who must absorb the losses or file insurance claims.
Conversely, the same neighborhood shows a drastically different response pattern for trespassing. Area 49 logged 177 criminal trespass reports, yielding 80 arrests.
Here is why that matters:
- On-scene presence: Trespassing typically involves an offender who is still on the premises when police arrive.
- Arrest rate disparity: The 45.1% arrest rate for trespassing is more than ten times higher than the arrest rate for theft in the exact same neighborhood.
- Resource allocation: Officers are highly effective at clearing calls where the suspect remains stationary, but struggle to close after-the-fact property reports.
Motor Vehicle Theft Trends: Focus on Community Area 43
The numbers surrounding auto theft present a massive logistical challenge for law enforcement. In Community Area 43, records show 1,159 motor vehicle theft incidents.
The result? Just 44 arrests.
This means 96.2% of auto thefts in this neighborhood resulted in no immediate apprehension. Analyzing chicago motor vehicle theft data shows that this isn't an anomaly, but a standard baseline for vehicle-related crimes. Without suspect descriptions or immediate GPS tracking, these cases frequently go cold the moment the vehicle leaves the block.
Battery and Public Peace Violations: Community Area 27
While property crimes dominate Area 49 and 43, violent and disruptive offenses are heavily concentrated in Community Area 27. This neighborhood logged 1,419 battery incidents, generating 198 arrests.
Securing a 13.9% arrest rate for battery is notably higher than property crime clearances, but it still leaves over 1,200 incidents uncleared at the time of the initial report. Area 27 also leads in public peace violations, recording 34 incidents and 11 arrests.
When comparing chicago public peace violations across different neighborhoods, the arrest rates are surprisingly high:
| Neighborhood | Offense Type | Incidents | Arrests | Arrest Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Area 27 | Public Peace Violation | 34 | 11 | 32.3% |
| Community Area 41 | Public Peace Violation | 19 | 14 | 73.6% |
| Community Area 61 | Public Peace Violation | 16 | 9 | 56.2% |
| Community Area 58 | Public Peace Violation | 10 | 4 | 40.0% |
These high clearance rates suggest that public peace violations—which include disorderly conduct and mob action—are often officer-initiated charges used to break up active disturbances.
Burglary Incidents in Community Areas 4 and 11
Burglary remains one of the most difficult crimes to clear. In Community Area 4, there were 200 burglary reports, resulting in just 5 arrests.
Community Area 11 shows an identical trend, logging 120 incidents with only 2 arrests. Reviewing chicago burglary reports confirms that unless an offender is caught in the act or captured on high-definition surveillance, the case rarely moves forward.
That is a 1.6% arrest rate in Area 11, leaving 118 property owners to deal with forced entry damage and stolen goods entirely on their own.
Weapons Violations and Other Offenses: Community Area 65 and 24
To understand proactive policing metrics, you have to look at weapons charges. In Community Area 65, police recorded 71 weapons violations and made 45 arrests.
Truth is: weapons violations operate backward compared to other crimes. A theft is reported by a victim, and police try to find the suspect. A weapons violation is usually discovered because police stopped a suspect and found a gun. This explains the massive 63.3% arrest rate for chicago weapons violations in this neighborhood.
Other specialized offenses show wildly different enforcement patterns across the city:
| Neighborhood | Offense Type | Incidents | Arrests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Area 24 | Other Offense | 484 | 62 |
| Community Area 37 | Robbery | 107 | 10 |
| Community Area 53 | Criminal Sexual Assault | 27 | 2 |
| Community Area 26 | Sex Offense | 19 | 0 |
| Community Area 15 | Offense Involving Children | 36 | 3 |
The 0% immediate arrest rate for the 19 sex offenses in Area 26 highlights the lengthy investigative timelines required for these sensitive cases. They are rarely cleared on the same day the initial report is filed.
Recent Chicago Incidents: Battery and Motor Vehicle Theft in 2026
Zooming in on a random sample of recent incidents from March through June 2026 provides a granular look at how these neighborhood trends play out on the street. Domestic battery and auto theft attempts dominate the recent logs.
Out of four domestic battery incidents in this sample, only one resulted in an immediate arrest. This underscores the complexities officers face on the scene, where uncooperative witnesses or a lack of visible injuries can stall an immediate apprehension.
Here is a breakdown of recent individual case files:
| Case Number | Date | Neighborhood | Offense | Description | Arrest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JK213100 | Apr 1, 2026 | Community Area 6 | Battery | Domestic Battery Simple | No |
| JK297703 | Jun 14, 2026 | Community Area 7 | Motor Vehicle Theft | Automobile | Yes |
| JK292914 | Jun 13, 2026 | Community Area 22 | Battery | Domestic Battery Simple | No |
| JK267411 | May 24, 2026 | Community Area 8 | Theft | Retail Theft | No |
| JK283674 | Jun 6, 2026 | Community Area 17 | Battery | Domestic Battery Simple | No |
| JK186643 | Mar 16, 2026 | Community Area 16 | Motor Vehicle Theft | Attempt - Automobile | No |
| JK306521 | Jun 23, 2026 | Community Area 67 | Motor Vehicle Theft | Attempt - Automobile | No |
| JK291411 | Jun 12, 2026 | Community Area 66 | Battery | Domestic Battery Simple | Yes |
| JK211029 | Apr 9, 2026 | N/A | Burglary | Forcible Entry | No |
| JK181639 | Mar 14, 2026 | Community Area 56 | Theft | Over $500 | No |
Notice the two attempted auto thefts in Area 16 and Area 67. Even when a vehicle isn't successfully stolen, the damage to steering columns and windows leaves owners with heavy repair bills. Neither of these recent attempts resulted in an arrest.
Quick Takeaways
- Property crime clearance is minimal: With a 4.4% arrest rate for thefts in Area 49 and a 3.7% rate for auto thefts in Area 43, victims bear the brunt of the financial impact.
- Proactive enforcement skews data: Weapons violations show a massive 63.3% arrest rate in Area 65 because the offense is usually generated directly by an officer's stop.
- Violence clusters geographically: Area 27 alone generated 1,419 battery reports, highlighting a severe concentration of interpersonal conflicts requiring police intervention.
- On-scene presence matters: Offenses where the suspect lingers—like the 177 criminal trespasses in Area 49—yield significantly higher arrest rates (45.1%) than hit-and-run property crimes.