Governor George H. Ryan said, “This is good news for the citizens of our state. I am pleased that we have entered the new millennium with crime continuing to head in the right direction. Anti-crime measures such as the new Safe Neighborhood Act of 2000 undoubtedly contributed to this downward trend.”
 

Every category of violent crime showed improvement. Criminal sexual assault led the way, decreasing 7.4%. Murders dropped 6.5%, robbery declined 4.1%, and aggravated assault and battery decreased 4%.
 

Among property crimes, arson dropped 9.4%, burglary dropped 6.8%, theft declined 4.2%, and motor vehicle theft decreased 2.7%.
 

As in the rest of the state, Chicago saw a decline in nearly all categories of violent crime. Criminal sexual assault decreased 12.5%, battery declined 8.1%, robberies were down 7%, and murders dropped 5.2%. Among property crimes in Chicago, arson fell 15.7%, burglaries declined 9.5%, theft dropped 9.1%, and motor vehicle theft decreased 4.7%.
 

 
Downstate totals also reflected the downward trend as murder dropped 12.5%, criminal sexual assaults fell 4.7%, and aggravated assault and battery fell .5%. Robbery rose 1.1%. Downstate property crimes all showed improvement as burglaries dropped 6%, arson declined 5.7%, theft decreased 1.9%, and motor vehicle theft fell 1.6%.
 

A breakdown of other areas of the state show the decline was broad-based:
 

Offenses (all crimes)
 

Cook County -6.0% Suburban Cook County -2.2% Collar Counties -2.8% Urban Counties -3.3% Rural Counties -0.2%
 

Illinois State Police Director Sam W. Nolen said, “The reduction in the crime rate is not a matter of chance. Government leaders, the criminal justice community, and citizens have worked together to remove criminals from our streets. The resolve to reduce crime is strong and will continue to drive the crime rate down in the future.”