Six violent crimes in 16 days.

Since Aug. 27, the Northern Star has reported six violent crimes ranging from attempted sexual assault to aggravated battery. DeKalb police chief Bill Feithen said this string of incidents may not be a long-term concern.

Crime trends

“You’ll see bumps or cycles of crime oftentimes,” Feithen said. “Until we catch some of these people and put them in jail we are going to see some of these cycles.”

DeKalb’s surrounding communities may also have an impact on the crime rate. Feithen said the town is positioned between three communities – Elgin, Aurora and Rockford – that have gang and drug problems. Feithen said DeKalb is also feeling the impact from Chicago crime.

Despite the recent violent crimes reported, according to FBI crime statistics, there is a slight decline over the past seven years in “part one crimes” in DeKalb.

Part one crimes, which include homicide, assault, sexual assault and robbery, are measured from the months of January through August of each year.

“If you look at those numbers; if you were to graph it out and draw a line, there is really a general slight downward trend,” Feithen said.

Despite the “downward trend,” Feithen acknowledges the concern with the recent violent crimes.

“I think what we’ve seen of late here is a string of incidents in the beginning of the school year,” Feithen said. “It’s an uptick that we need to be concerned about and needs to addressed, because who’s to say it’s not a permanent uptick?”

Contributing factors

A variety of things can go into impacting the rates, including the economy, juvenile population, facilities in the town and alternative schools, Feithen said.

NIU has lost its suitcase school image, and students are now staying around for weekends and inviting friends from out of town, which can lead to incoming crime, Feithen said.

Feithen isn’t passing the blame to the university or its students, but said it is a combination of things.

“We are constantly challenged by drugs and gangs,” he said. “Urban areas and suburbs are feeling the impact.”

Importance of location

Recent violent crimes reported have been centered around the northwest area of town, near Hillcrest Drive, Varsity Boulevard and Greenbrier Road, which Feithen described as having the highest population concentration.

“About 44 to 46 percent, depending on what year, of our calls are in that section of town,” Feithen said. “It also holds true for the number of serious calls; 44 to 46 percent of [serious] calls are in that section of town.”

One explanation for the rate of calls and occurrences is population, in addition to housing in the section of town. Feithen said that in a college community like DeKalb there are more affordable housing and rental units available.

Funding and police numbers

“The last six years have not been good for funding toward crime-fighting programs,” Feithen said. “We are constantly being challenged by the impacts of crime.”

The DeKalb Police Department is also in need of additional officers, he said.

“My officers are doing an outstanding job and getting results, but we are living on borrowed time,” Feithen said.

Compared to the number of officers’ per thousands in population at other university towns, more staff is needed, he said.

Safety

Despite the violent crimes, which have been reported mostly at night or in the early morning hours, Feithen said it is still safe to be in DeKalb at night.

“It is as safe as any other college community,” he said.

As a safety warning, Feithen advises students walk together in well-lit areas at night and have a cell phone handy with 911 programmed in it. He said students should always be aware of where they are in the event police need to be called, so that a description can be given.

Feithen said the police are responding to the surge with more patrols and more patrol tactics, but he could not elaborate on specifics.