Naperville police made more arrests for drug and narcotic violations in 2025, according to yearly comparisons. But other serious offenses, such as burglaries, were fewer this past year.
Police Chief Jason Arres recently released the Naperville Police Department’s 2025 year-end crime and incident data report.
The document tallies up all of the significant case types this past year and compares them to data from prior years. Of the three major crime types, two increased overall in the past year.
The data compilation, Arres wrote in the report, is a tool for residents and business owners to remain vigilant.
“Naperville remains a safe community, thanks to the strong partnership between our residents, businesses, and police department,” Arres wrote. “By staying aware, reporting suspicious activity, and taking simple preventative steps, our community members continue to play a critical role in keeping Naperville safe.”
Crimes Against Persons
The “Crimes Against Persons” category accounts for such crimes as murder, kidnapping, rapes, aggravated assaults, and similar types of offenses. There were no murders within Naperville this past year.
At the end of the year, Naperville police reported 1,057 incidents within the category in 2025, up from the 1,000 cases filed in 2024.
The number of reported rapes dropped from 36 cases in 2024 to 26 cases this past year. But other incidents, such as simple assaults, rose from 759 reports in 2024 to 874 cases in 2025.
Arres noted 83% of the cases within the crimes against persons category were simple assaults that did not involve any weapons or serious injuries. Most of the sexual assaults, he added, involved a victim knowing, or being acquainted with, the offender.
Crimes Against Property
This past year, Naperville police responded to fewer cases within the “Crimes Against Property” category. In 2024, there were 2,487 incidents within this bucket, which ranged from vandalism to theft to scams against people. In 2025, there were 2,291 total incidents.
Burglaries dropped this past year, from 99 cases in 2024 to 63 cases in 2025. The majority of those, 57%, were at commercial locations.
The number of reported shoplifting cases also decreased, from 430 incidents in 2024 to 388 cases in 2025.
Also down were both motor vehicle theft, from 94 cases to 52, and theft from motor vehicles, dropping from 157 to 100. Arres noted that in about 80% of the vehicle burglaries that took place in 2025, the vehicles were unlocked. As for motor vehicle thefts, about ⅓ of them were attempted thefts.
But some crimes, such as vandalism (303 incidents in 2024, 328 incidents in 2025) and identity theft (401 cases in 2024, 451 cases in 2025) were on the rise this past year.
Arres indicated financial-related offenses made up more than one-third of the property crimes within Naperville this past year.
Crimes Against Society
The last of the major categories, “Crimes Against Society” jumped from 369 cases in 2024 to 469 cases this past year. Prostitution, drug violations, and certain types of weapons-related offenses fall within this category.
At a more granular level, police responded to more drug and narcotic-related offenses this past year — 310, versus the 231 cases in 2024. The number of prostitution cases also increased from 5 in 2024 to 13 in 2025.
Arres attributed the rise within this category to a change in protocol within the agency. Naperville police, he said, have been engaged in more proactive enforcement strategies.
Traffic Crashes
The Naperville Police Department’s year-end report also examined traffic-related crashes within the past six years.
The total number of crashes, according to the report, reached a six-year high, with 3,260 total incidents in 2025, compared to 2,003 incidents in 2020. Last year, 2,791 traffic crashes were reported within the city.
While the total number of crashes was on the rise in yearly comparisons, the severity of those incidents was lessened. A total of 375 people sustained injuries in last year’s traffic crashes, down from the 458 injuries reported in 2024.
The number of traffic crash-related fatalities also decreased, from 8 incidents in 2024 to 4 incidents this past year.
The full 2025 year-end crime and incident data report is available to view on the Naperville Police Department’s website.
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