While the year is not yet over, Joliet is on pace to have the fewest homicides in years and it has seen a 37% reduction in the number of shootings since last year.

On Tuesday, Joliet Police Chief William Evans provided the Joliet City Council a “snapshot” on the data showing how his department has been tackling violent crime.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been two homicides. It is the lowest number of homicides in at least the past six years and the lowest since Evans became the police chief in 2022.

Evans said the department’s investigations division “continues to record higher than a 90% clearance rate on homicide offenses over a three-year period.”

There have been 386 shootings in the city, down from 614 shootings during the same period last year, Evans said.

“This is a reduction of approximately 37%, making it the third year in a row the Joliet Police Department has seen considerable reduction in total shootings,” Evans said.

Evans thanked Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy, Joliet City Manager Beth Beatty and council members for their “relentless support of the Joliet Police Department.”

“These successes we’ve achieved could not have been done without your support and attention,” Evans said.

Evans was hired within the last year of Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk’s second term in office, which was beset by political turmoil that led to a high turnover of police chiefs.

Earlier this year, Evans said his department has committed to “data-driven policing” to identify “hot spots” for crime. He said good data, proactive policing and an engaged community are helping keep the city’s streets safer.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Evans thanked the community for its “constant support” of the department.

“A week doesn’t go by in which a citizen or a community group doesn’t stop by the station to offer food, prayers and encouragement. In fact, Burger King was there today,” Evans said.

Aggravated batteries are down by almost 50%, aggravated discharge of a firearm are down by about 45% and robberies are down by about 15%, according to the numbers provided by Evans.

Officers recovered 211 firearms off the street, which is up from 183 firearms “at this point last year,” Evans said. The department’s tactical team has recovered more than 75 of those weapons, he said.

“And remember, there’s only about seven guys on that team,” Evans said.

Evans said the city has also seen decreases in burglaries to motor vehicles, thefts and residential burglaries. But he reminded people to keep their vehicles locked to stop burglaries.

“Please ensure that your vehicles [are] parked in a well-lit area, secured and free from valuable items within the vehicle,” he said.