Since we have to be concerned with the future, we need continued work on white collar crime and elderly crime, because we will all be there at some point. In Kane County, reports of crime dropped in all eight categories from 1998 to 1999, combining for a fall of almost 11 percent from 1998. Burglaries were the fastest falling type of crime with a 22 percent drop. Kane's largest city, Aurora, chalked up a 5 percent decrease overall. But the number of motor vehicles reported stolen there increased from 372 to 416, almost 12 percent, and the number of recorded robberies went from 165 to 179, a surge of 8.5 percent.
Some experts warn that the statistics tell an incomplete story.
By definition, the tally does not include unreported crimes. It's the public that pays through higher prices for these crimes. In areas with small numbers of reports, even a minor change can translate into a misleading jump or drop when expressed as a percentage. And the number of reports of crime can vary because of police policies, from starting a task force to crack down on particular offenses to presenting incorrect data. They want to show less crime for the most part.