Crime Rates Decline Amid Pandemic
Dylan Meyer
October 13, 2021
ICC Police released a report revealing decreases in campus crimes with no crimes reported at the Peoria and Pekin Campuses during 2020.
The federally mandated Clery Act requires academic institutions with police or security departments to keep a daily crime log to effectively track crime occurring on campus. The report contains information about safety and security on all three campuses and provides crime statistics that occurred on campus for the past three years.
ICC Police Chief Thomas Larson said he attributes the decline to the lack of people on campus due to the pandemic but points out that 2019 and 2020 are “statistically identical” on crime reports. Chief Larson believes the trend will continue downward.
Back in 2016 and 2017, there were more crimes, but “Over the last five years, we’ve been able to bring the crime rate down,” said Larson. “Our officers do a good job, and we have very low crime.”
ICC has always been relatively peaceful, with reports of crimes in all significant categories down from previous years. Crime rates have fallen nearly 60% from 2018 to 2020 on the East Peoria Campus. There were only four reported crimes on campus in 2020, a drop from 10 in 2018.
From 2018 to 2020, alcohol referrals dropped from 22 to 14, and thefts receded nearly 61%. From 2018 to 2020, drug referrals rose from 10 to 11 but decreased dramatically from 25 in 2019 to 11 in 2020. Total arrests made on campus remain at 0, according to the report.
“The ICC campuses have traditionally been very low-crime areas. Most of the crimes we handle are relatively minor infractions of the law, such as misdemeanor theft,” Larson said.
According to the Clery Report, the best way to prevent crimes is to promptly contact campus police if you witness a crime or report any suspicious behavior.
Crime rates are well below the five-year average, and the Chief envisions fewer crimes in the years ahead.
