Big Drop In Police Calls In Western Springs

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — The Western Springs Police Department saw a 23 percent drop in calls for service in 2020, compared to the previous year, according to the agency's annual report. The total calls were 6,749, amounting to 18 a day on average.

"I believe this decline was largely attributed to the global pandemic as traditional public activities and law enforcement services were curtailed out of concerns for overall safety," Police Chief Brian Budds said in the report.

In one category, though, the village saw a spike. Theft reports rose 159 percent in 2020. But that increase mirrored the trend across the suburbs, with a proliferation of unemployment fraud claims. Western Springs is still dealing with a number of such claims every week.

Car burglaries rose 29 percent in 2020, to 18 such cases, which reflects a regional trend, according to the police department. The police call such crimes preventable because car doors in most instances are unlocked.

In 2020, three cars were stolen in Western Springs, compared with five the year before. Only one aggravated assault and battery was reported in 2020, down from three in 2019.

In 2020, the police department received one complaint from a citizen about a police officer. Seventeen other complaints were generated internally, according to the annual report.

Of the total of 18 complaints, all but one were sustained. Eleven cases resulted in counseling, three in suspensions, two in written reprimands and one in an oral reprimand, the report said.