There were fewer crimes reported in Naperville in 2024 compared to 2023, but among those, property crimes were the leading offense.
That’s according to statistics from the Naperville Police Department’s 2024 crime and incident data report.
Most reported Naperville crime in 2024
Crimes against property made up about 64% of the total crimes reported in Naperville last year. The most reported of those crimes were theft.
The number of shoplifting offenses has risen over the past two years, with 430 cases reported in 2024 – nearly 200 more than in 2022.
Burglary to motor vehicles and motor vehicle theft also saw increases from 2023 to 2024. In those burglary cases, 77% involved unlocked vehicles, police said.
But there have been some declines. Vandalism/criminal damage dropped from 365 cases in 2023 to 303 last year.
The number of fraud cases have dropped in each of the last two years, authorities say. But the amount of money reportedly lost by scams in 2024 nearly totaled $5.5 million, with targeted victims ranging from 15 years old to 91.
Overall, property crime in general went down 4% from 2023 to 2024.
Naperville sees reports decrease in crimes against persons and society
Other numbers that dropped are reported victims of crimes against persons and incidents of crimes against society.
Crimes against persons decreased by around 14% from 2023 to 2024, with crimes against society dropping about 10%.
Naperville crime against persons make up a quarter of the reports
About a quarter of the total crimes reported in Naperville in 2024 were crimes against persons, with more than 91% of those involving intimidation or simple assault.
About three-quarters of the reported crimes against persons were simple assault cases. Domestic batteries made up around 64% of all simple assaults reported to the NPD, according to the report.
There were 36 criminal sexual assaults reported to the police in 2024. In 33 of them, police say the victims knew or were in some way acquainted with the offender.
In the other three cases, one involved a victim who was assaulted by someone they had just met that day, and two involved victims who did not disclose information about the incidents.
As for homicide, the NPD said there was just one in 2024, which was a domestic incident in a residence.
Reported drug and weapon violations decreased in each of the last two years
The most reported crimes against society were drug/narcotic violations, with 231 incidents in 2024. The total reported number of these crimes has decreased by about 150 since 2022.
The two other most reported crimes in this category included drug equipment and weapon law violations, which have also decreased in each of the last two years.
Naperville Police Department looks ahead
In the report, Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres encouraged all members in the community to continue to practice situational awareness, report suspicious activities to the NPD, and follow traffic laws.
“These habits, in conjunction with proven crime prevention techniques like diligently locking your homes and vehicles, will help us make Naperville a safer community and a tougher target for crime,” Arres said.
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