DeKalb violent crime rate down, but still three times higher than national rate – Northern Star

DeKALB – According to 2023 FBI crime statistics, DeKalb’s violent crime rate is nearly three times the national rate.

According to the FBI, violent crimes include murder and non-negligent homicide, involuntary manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault and intimidation.

The DeKalb Police Department publishes an annual report that summarizes crime statistics for the community. The report breaks down crime by location by zone. Locations include Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3 and unknown locations.

DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd said the department receives most calls in Zone 1, which includes the Annie Glidden North area.

“Many of our arrests occur there, of course, because that’s where the bulk of our calls and services take place,” Byrd said. “In this case it is quite disproportionate. It’s a high, high percentage. So that’s where we put our resources.”

According to the DeKalb Police Department’s 2023 Crime Report, 114 violent crimes occurred in Zone 1, 24 in Zone 2 and 22 in Zone 3. DeKalb Police do not take simple assault into account when calculating violent crimes.

Zone 1 includes Greek Row, where NIU’s fraternity and sorority houses are located.

Kayle Axelsen, a second-year medical student and kinesiology major, is a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority and has lived in the ASA House on Greek Row since the beginning of the school year. Axelsen said she noticed the police presence on Greek Row.

“Especially when similar activity occurs on Greek Row, there are police officers walking up and down Greek Row all the time,” Axelsen said. “I would say it’s monitored really well.”

Axelsen said she tends to take security precautions because of the amount of crime in the area.

“I don’t feel safe walking alone at night,” she said. “When I come home and it’s dark, I always talk to someone on the phone while I’m walking in (the dorm) just because it makes me feel more safe.”

For Axelsen, Greek Row students are generally not in danger.

“One time we were walking around and shots were fired,” Axelsen said. “But in my opinion, there is nothing aimed at students on Greek Row.”

Byrd said as police chief he tries to be careful not to over-police areas with marginalized communities.

“I’m very careful and aware of it because I lived on the south side of Chicago,” Byrd said. “I know what outlying areas look like.”

Byrd said crime has declined since he joined the department three years ago.

According to FBI crime statistics, there were 42 fewer violent crimes in 2022 than in 2021 and 10 fewer in 2023 than in 2022.

The DeKalb Police Department currently has 71 officers, will have 73 by the end of the year and plans to have 75 next year, according to Byrd.

“This department has never been this busy in the past,” Byrd said. “This is a good thing for the city of DeKalb. Visibility deters crime. The more officers we have, the less crime we hope.”

Lisa Rove-Williams graduated from NIU in 1986 and lives north of Greek Row. She said she feels safe in DeKalb.

“We (she and her husband) are sometimes surprised when we read in the newspaper that there have been gun deals,” she said.

Rove-Williams said she and her husband were barely affected by the crime in DeKalb.

“We didn’t even lock our doors (when we moved here),” Rove-Williams said. “Of course we wouldn’t do that now. But I feel pretty safe.”

For Rove-Williams, newspaper reports and residents of towns like Sycamore exaggerate the danger and give the town a bad name.

“They give the impression that no street in DeKalb is safe,” she said. “I just don’t think that’s true. There are a lot of nice neighborhoods in DeKalb and a lot of good people.”