Peoria sees increase in some crimes for second consecutive year, police report shows
The city of Peoria saw an increase in crimes reported for the second consecutive year, according to the Peoria Police Department's annual report released Wednesday.
According to statistics from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), Peoria saw 16,753 crime reports in 2024, a 9.89% increase from 2023. The biggest increases came in crimes against people, up nearly 20% from 2023 and accounting for 36% of all reported crimes in Peoria.
Among the crimes designated as crimes against people, intimidations went up by 33% year-over-year, from 406 in 2023 to 542 in 2024. Simple assaults also went up by 21% year-over-year, from 3,045 in 2023 to 3,692 last year.
More: Peoria man found guilty for 2023 liquor store shooting that killed one
The city also saw an increase in the number of rapes reported, with 167 reported in 2024 compared with 100 reported in 2023 – a 67% increase – while there was a slight jump in the number of aggravated assaults and kidnappings.
However, there were slightly fewer murders – defined by NIBRS as the "willful killing of one human being by another" – reported in Peoria in 2024, with just 14 reported compared to 21 in 2023, according to Peoria police statistics.
The number of crimes against property went up slightly to 5%, making up 54% of all crime reported in Peoria, while crimes against society went up 3%. The city saw a large increase in burglaries in 2024, with 1,608 reported according to NIBRS, up 88% from the 855 reported in 2023.
There was also a 36% increase in the number of drug violations, going from 307 in 2023 to 416 in 2024, along with a 35% increase in the discovery of pornography or other obscene material. However, the number of motor vehicle thefts declined to 932 in 2024 from 1,150 in 2023, a decrease of 19%, with a decrease also being reported in the number of weapons law violations at the tune of a 16% decrease.
The city reported a 20% increase in adult arrests, with a 32% increase in the number of women being arrested. In total, 4,342 adults were arrested in 2024, up from 3,630 in 2023.
In terms of juvenile arrests, police said that they made 648 arrests of those under 18, up 15% from 2023. The department saw 225 girls arrested, an 18% increase from 2023.
The department made 225 felony arrests in 2024, seizing over 34,000 grams of controlled substances, recovering 166 firearms and executing 111 search warrants. The department's crime scene unit also handled over 7,000 pieces of evidence and over 500 shell casings, with 438 DNA samples, 546 controlled substances and 407 firearms being examined, with 365 leads for the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network being made.
More: Peoria conducts polygraph exams on police and fire recruits. Here's why that could change
Despite the overall increase in arrests and crime, police reported fewer shootings and gunshot victims, with a 28% decrease in the overall number of shooting incidents and a 34% decrease in the number of victims. Just 90 people were struck by gunfire in 2024, compared to 136 in 2023, with just 18 deaths compared to 19 in 2023.
The number of homicides in Peoria also went down 9%, from 25 in 2023 to 23 in 2024. The department lauded the work of their detectives in getting 17 of those homicides solved, at a rate of 73%. The department's clearance rate was higher than the national average of 58% recorded in NIBRS.
The city also saw a 21% decrease in the number of ShotSpotter alerts, with 990 being reported in 2024, along with just 4,084 rounds being fired for a 26% decrease from 2023.
However, the number of total calls for service went up 6%, with 125,268 calls being handled by dispatch for police. The department's patrol unit also handled 3,679 traffic accidents, with over 8,500 traffic stops also being conducted.
Peoria Police Department spokesperson Semone Roth told the Journal Star that there wasn't an overarching reason for why certain crimes went up and others went down on the year, noting that no one can predict why they fluctuate from one year to another.
The department's annual report also showed a 1% increase in the number of minority officers working for them, with 23% of all officers identifying as such. 41% of the 35 new officers hired in 2024 were minorities, with 13% of them being women.
More: A traffic stop, cannabis and stolen gun: Documents reveal more on Peoria prosecutor arrest
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria sees increase in some crimes for second consecutive year
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