Chicago police released crime statistics for 2020 that show a steep increase in gun violence, murders and carjackings over the year before.
But police also reported a 20% decrease in thefts and sex assaults, and a 9% decrease in burglaries.
Compared with 2019, shootings and murders rose more than 50%, according to police. Other major cities also saw increases in shootings and murders in 2020, which police tied to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and periods of civil unrest.
“This has been a year that has presented numerous challenges to law enforcement, and I am proud of the way Chicago police officers have risen to the occasion,” Supt. David Brown said in a statement announcing the figures.
The year closed out with 3,261 total shootings citywide and 4,033 shooting victims, police said. Police also recorded 769 murders, compared with 495 in 2019.
Earlier in the year, Brown told the department he wanted to keep yearly homicides under 300.
The year also saw a doubling in carjackings, with the department recording more than 1,300 by the end of the year.
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“Our strategy moving forward will focus on improving all areas of the department guided by five key pillars with the goal of improving public safety for every resident and visitor on every block throughout the city,” Brown said.
Brown said those pillars are: growing community trust, transformational change through reform, officer wellness, ensuring public safety and strengthening investigations.
In 2020, four CPD officers died from the coronavirus, while 2,487 other members of the department tested positive for the virus, police said.
