Motor vehicle thefts are significantly down on the West Side at the start of 2024.  

Figures from the 15th District of the Chicago Police Department, show that as of March 3, 127 motor vehicle thefts thefts occurred,  down 15% from the same time last year. The district covers the majority of Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. 

In the 25th District, bordered by Division Street to the South and Central Park Avenue to the East, there have been 211 motor vehicle thefts so far, a 34% decrease over last year. 

“We constantly are in communication with each other,” said Captain Patrick Aylward of the districts’ collaboration with each other and those on the West Side. He made the comments in a virtual community leadership meeting hosted by West Side Community Stakeholders, a group that meets regularly to strengthen local collaboration and reduce local substance use and crime.  

Although Chicago as a whole has seen an increase in vehicle hijacking, “we are still one the lowest throughout the city, along with the 25th District,” said Sergeant Ed Brown of the 15th District. 

Robberies, however, have spiked slightly along Division Street between the two districts, according to Aylward.  

Because of the continuing incidents at the intersection of Division Street and North Long Avenue in Austin, the 25th District has created a team to patrol the area in the afternoons, police said. 

So far this year, there have been 27 burglaries in District 15, in line with last year’s rate, and 59 in District 25, a 16% increase. 

The number of shootings in the 25th District are also down. 

“Our shootings are pretty much the same from last year,” Aylward said. “We have no murders for this year.” They’d seen three at this time last year. 

While four homicides have occurred in the first part of this year in the 15th District — no change from the same period in 2023 — they have been personal altercations or domestic-related cases, rather than gang-related ones, Brown said.  

The 15th District organized a domestic violence outreach March 7 at the station to help local victims of domestic violence, which are often also victims of gun violence, get resources. 

“A lot of times, victims are scared or don’t know what to do,” Brown said, and the station outreach aims to help with that.