Overall Chicago crime down 30% in April 2020: police

Overall crime in Chicago fell by 30% in April 2020 compared to the same month last year amid a statewide stay-at-home order, according to statistics released by Chicago police.

Despite the overall reduction in major crimes, the 207 shootings in April 2020 marked a 6.7% increase from the 194 shootings in April 2019, police said in a statement Friday. The number of murders fell by about 8.9%, from 61 in April 2019 to 56 in April 2020.

The city saw the most violent five-day period of 2020 so far between April 5 and 9.

The 30% drop in overall crime comes largely from double-digit reductions in criminal sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated batteries, burglaries, thefts and carjackings, police said.

There have been 625 shootings and 154 murders in Chicago so far this year, police said. Those are climbs of about 16% and 8%, respectively, through the same time period last year.

The police department was largely focused on enforcing the stay-at-home order in April, police said, as the coronavirus continued to spread throughout the city.

Officers issued 4,632 dispersal orders between April 1 and April 29, police said. Six citations were issued and 17 arrests were made to people who did not obey dispersal orders or citations.

At least 436 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among police department employees, including 415 officers, police said. Three officers have died of the coronavirus, in what the city is ruling line-of-duty deaths.

On April 22, former Dallas Police Chief David Brown was sworn in as Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, replacing interim Supt. Charlie Beck. The day after he was sworn in, dozens of officers were relocated to the West Side to clamp down on gun violence and enforce the stay-at-home order.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.