Crime fell to a five-year low in 2025 in the city of Sycamore, according to data from a newly released annual report by the Sycamore Police Department.

Sycamore Police Chief Erik Mahan, who was tapped to replace former police chief Jim Winters who retired in March 2025, told the Sycamore City Council this week that certain categories of crime in the city were the lowest in years. He oversees the department’s $7.4 million budget.

“From a public safety perspective, crime was significantly reduced in 2025,” Mahan said. “Crimes against persons declined by nearly 40%. Crimes against property also decreased to a four-year low.”

In 2025, 467 crimes against persons, property and society were recorded by the Sycamore Police Department and placed in the National-Incident Based Reporting System. That total, down 64 from 2024, is the lowest since the new crime reporting system was implemented in 2021.

Fourteen fewer crimes against persons were committed in Sycamore in 2025 than in 2024, documents show. Crimes against property dropped by 59 year over year, but crimes against society rose by 14.

While speaking to elected officials on Monday, Mahan credited the community for the falling crime numbers.

“I think that’s just a testament to the great community that we live in and work in, and the way that everybody treats each other in Sycamore, so that’s great,” Mahan said.

While crime against persons in Sycamore has fallen to a four-year low, it’s not the smallest recent total for the city. In 2021, the first year NIBRS was utilized by the Sycamore Police Department, there were 11 fewer crimes against persons committed in Sycamore, documents show.

Crimes against property have reduced every year since 2021, when 529 crimes were reported in that category by Sycamore police. In 2025, that total was 293.

When reached on Friday, 3rd Ward Alderman Marvin Barnes said he was glad to see crime in Sycamore is down.

“I was pleased with it,” Barnes said. “I mean, I’ve always considered Sycamore a very safe town. So it was concerning when we had some issues for a few years, but I was pleased with that downturn.”

Now, a year after Mahan left his job as deputy chief for the St. Charles Police Department to take over for Winters, Mahan said he believes the Sycamore Police Department has improved public safety in the city since he assumed his role.

“This past year was obviously one of transition for us, and progress for our department,” Mahan said. “We navigated leadership changes, strengthened our organizational foundation and achieved some measurable improvements in public safety.”

Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser said on Friday that he continues to support Mahan and is happy with his leadership.

“I’m very happy with the police department,” Braser said.

Barnes shared a similar sentiment.

“I have total respect for our whole police department and for our new police chief,” Barnes said. “He really seems to have the eye on the ball, and he came well regarded and well respected. And I think he fits in well with Sycamore.”

By the numbers

The department reported nine deaths in a category that includes both homicide and suicides, without distinguishing the two, data shows. Further data shows no homicides were reported in Sycamore city limits in 2025, according to the report.

Sycamore police assisted the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office in a double homicide investigation in late September and early October, since the home is in unincorporated Sycamore. Kevin A. Schmidt, 35, was charged with first-degree murder in the killings of his parents, Holly Schmidt and Gary Schmidt. The case remains pending in DeKalb County court.

In November 2025, an Elgin 19-year-old was hospitalized after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a Sycamore motel room, police said. The man faced multiple firearm-related charges, according to the report.

In 2025, Sycamore police reported four burglaries, 12 investigations involving sexual offenses, 139 cases of theft and 89 cases of fraud.

The department reported 83 simple assaults and five aggravated assaults in 2025, data shows.

Sycamore crashes by the numbers

The number of crashes that injured people or damaged property has remained generally flat for the past five years, Sycamore police data shows.

In 2025, 54 crashes that caused injuries occurred in Sycamore. That’s six more than in 2024, and 12 more than in 2023, but down from 59 in 2022. A similar number of crashes that caused injuries were reported in 2021 (55) as there were in 2025.

The number of crashes that caused property damage within the city of Sycamore in 2025 was 326, one more than in 2024 and one fewer than in 2021. In 2022, 311 crashes that caused damage to property occurred within the city; 330 happened in 2022.

In the 2025 Sycamore Police Annual Report, officials wrote that 2 p.m. was “the peak time for traffic crashes” in Sycamore. Of the 380 total traffic crashes in Sycamore in 2025, 52 were hit and runs, two were alcohol related crashes, and 1 was fatal.

Those crashes weren’t all on public roads, however.

“It’s important to note that almost a third of our reported crashes occur not on our roadways but on private properties, such as retail parking lots,” Mahan said.