Chicago Police release January crime stats

CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - The Chicago Police Department early Wednesday released its monthly crime statistics for January 2017.

Police recorded 51 murders across the city last month, one more than January 2016, the department said. Three police districts on the city’s South and West sides – the Englewood, Harrison and Austin districts – accounted for about half of the city’s murders last month.

Police counted 234 shooting incidents – eight fewer than in January 2016 – with 299 victims, an increase of eight compared to the same period last year.

The Deering District, which was one of the city’s top three districts for murders in 2016, saw a 50 percent reduction in murders last month compared to January 2016, police said. The department said 59 of the city’s 77 neighborhoods either remained flat or saw a reduction in murders last month compared to last January.

Officers recovered more than 600 guns last month, an increase of more than 60 percent over January 2016, police said. The department also noted that gun arrests overall have more than doubled compared to January 2016.

“In 2017, CPD will focus on initiatives that aim to reduce violence, increase the capability of our police officers, and rebuild public trust,” CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson said in the statement. “Through these investments we will make this a safer year for Chicago.”

According to a Chicago Sun-Times list compiled using Cook County medical examiner’s and other public records, there were 53 homicides in Chicago in January 2017. The Sun-Times has also recorded 245 shooting incidents in the city last month with 307 victims, seven of whom were children aged 14 or younger.