Theft in Chicago — Crime Statistics 2026

How common is theft in Chicago?

Theft accounts for 99,072 indexed police reports in Chicago (23.2% of tracked offenses). Data comes from City of Chicago Open Data — Crimes.

How many theft incidents are in Chicago?

LocalCrimeVault has 99,072 indexed theft reports in Chicago, sourced from City of Chicago Open Data — Crimes.

What share of theft reports lead to arrest?

In our most recent sample of 109 theft records, 11 (10.1%) include an arrest flag in the source data.

How often is theft data updated?

Chicago crime records sync nightly from the open-data portal. New reports appear on type and incident pages after the sync and deploy pipeline completes.

What is till tapping?

Till tapping (or a "till tap") is the theft of cash directly from a cash register or till, typically while an employee is distracted or the drawer is open. It is an old police-blotter term — in current Chicago PD data these incidents are usually classified as theft with a "retail theft" or "from building" description rather than under a dedicated till-tap code.

What is the difference between theft and robbery?

Theft is taking property without force — shoplifting, pickpocketing, stealing from a parked car. Robbery is taking property from a person by force or threat of force, which makes it a violent felony under Illinois law and a separate category in Chicago crime data.