If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. National Criminal Justice Reference Service This microfiChe was produced from documents received for inclusion in the NCJRS data base. Since NCJRS cannot exercise control over the physical condition of the documents submitted, the individual frame quality will vary. The resolution chart on this frame may be used to evaluate the document quality. ..,;.--,,' " " .'-':~~-:--'-:=='-'- ~"'7-'::;c;.~"'""" '~---;:~':: ; \ ~ ". '} ,--,. ~~ri"!. __ ~':_' t=.,r 1.0 11111.2 05 .0 II 1.1 ' 111111.25 11111 1.4 JIIII1.6 , I. o , ( .~ I'oints of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the author(s) and do not represe'llt the offjcial ,...,...,.----...[)....._.".. ~ position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice. ,[DATE FILMED" I __ t .~, ,"~"'---Y' -"',:c~~ ,~~~:~'~":~~"'~-~:,', L~~:~~r~:-:.:~.~' ~', ":.'~~- l -'\.,'", ...."'" ~;,;;- ,~.:J. " !l2j28/8Hl ~ L--~_lNati~~~II~b.t~·~fiJu~lice .... ·t:1J.'~.,·~~7~1 ., .. - ". :.1 \) United States Department of Justice -, , .' ...- .......... "'" 'i;[ ., Washington, D.C 20531 t L_,_~~,~ I~ o .~ I / • y 9.' t.:.::-·r-~~.--:-~~!"""""'" . u f ",. ~--":"--'-:"''''''''''''''''----=-----------....':.------------JI /(1 'JIi I ij f I , I I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I Individuals managing each of tbe data sources coveCed in this report provided important information about data collection I / Data Sources on the Incidence and system problems. We thank each of these persons for their of Arson in Illinois cooperation and assistance. The Information Systems Subco.m.mit;.. I 1;..ee of the Gov:errior 's Arsol{ Advisory Board provided helpful in­ formation and assistance. '~ur thanks extends to the Subcommit­ November 4, 1977 tee's, members, eS..:..t>ecially Stephen Tapke, for their contri bu- I 0 Revised March, 1981 i;--· it. tionsT.")} J, I All SAC papers, from the first draft to final printing and By James R. Coldren, 'Jr. dissemination, are the result of coordinated efforts from the I with the assistance of Dan Lipshultz entire staff. We appreciate the contributions made by each and every staff member toward the completion of this paper. I Statistical Analysis Center CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS J. David Coldren, Director (J I ILLINOIS LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMISSION Daniel H. Weil, Chairman I William Holland, Acting Executive Director ;- I I 1\ '0. U.S. Department of Justice J National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stat7d # :1 in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily f. ' represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of .. Justice. Permission to reproduce this copyrighted material has been ~ granted by • • "{,'I - Illinois Law Enforcement Comm1ss1on ."".r-~'--------------- to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). ,"'.i ;1L F /J t .' ,If {) Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system requires permis­ l) c' '\ sion of the copyright owner. ... ~. <, . 11 . " i~ I . J >i I ." ;w"lI'i.1IIiiiU~~~'" U ur$:I~~lijl!li.Ii/lMiil!i_~._ t,- ,.. ~,,-, .. , .. , ' - .. '\'~ \.. , / iii ill . II £4)11.. I 1& .. Jd.liUi it!2i!iJI kt iU till'" • < .. INTRODUCTION TABLE OF CONTENTS This is a revi~ed edition of a St~~istical Analysis Center Page (SAC) report ~ublished in November of 1977: "Data Sources on the Acknowledgments . ~ . .. i Inoidence of Arson in Illinois." In the three years since the Introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ~ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 1 publication of that paper advances have been made in arson in­ Data Sources , ' • e· • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 formatforrreporting systems at the state level and nationwide. Illinois Uniform Crime Reports ..•...... ~ ...••••••••.•. 5 The most significant stimulus for these advances has been the Chicago Police Department Bomb and Arson Sectiqn •••... 13 recognition by law enforcement officials and citizens that arson Illinois Courts D~ta .....•.....•........•••... ~ ••.••.. 16 is a serious ~roblem requiring concerted efforts toward its pre­ Illinois Dep~rtment of Corrections ....••..•.•.••.••... 19 vention. Significant, also, was the legislation passed by Con­ Office of the State Fire Marshal ....•.••........••.... 22 gress in October. of 1978 mandating that arson be included as an Metropolitan Chioago Loss Burea~ ~ .... • • 0 • • • • • • • • 0 • • • • • 28 Index offense in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform 1 Summary and Conclusions ............... II ••••••••••••••••••• 30 Crime Reporting Program. The availability Of' arson data in Appendices • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••••••••••• ~ •••••• eo. • • •• 3.1 Illinois and nationwide has changed in recent years due to these Appendix A: Summary Table of Illinois Arson Data '--I and other developments. Thii paper makes these changes known to Sources . • . • . • • . • . • • . .. 3 1 L users of Illinois criminal justice data. Appendix B: Statistical Analysis Center - Illinois Uniform Crime Reports (SAC-IUCR) 0 Illinois Law concerning arson has changed in recent years. Data Elements . • • .. • . .. 33 Until 1973, three arson offenses were defined by the Criminal (.{ppendix C: Map Detailing the Illinois Circuit 11 Code of Illinois: ,I L\'/ \ Court Boundaries •..••.••........••..••.•..• 38 Appendix D: Chief Judges and Circuit Clerks of - arson; [( - possession of explosive or incendiary devices; Court in the Illinois Courts .. ~~ .•...•.•.•. 40 ; ,".: and ~ / Appendix E: Corrections Information System~ r':j attempt~d arson "",- II1 , ~;~ ("~IS) Data Elements ..........••••..••••••. 47 ~J." . ' In October of 1977, Illinois law de~~ned a new arson offense: AppendixF: H P~operty Insurance Loss Register aggravated arson. The legal defini~[on of the four arson offens­ ,(P'ILR) Data Elements •..•.•....•.••..•••...• 50 [J es presently recognized by Illinois'\J."e.!'l~A Illinois Revised, Stat­ Appendix G: Nationa~ Fire Incident Reporting utes, 1979, Chapter 38, Articre 20, Sections 20-1 et.seq., and System (NFIRS) Data Elements ..•••• r ••••••• 53 <J )] 8-4) are given below. Glossa~y ••••••••• _................ "~a ••••••••••••••••• ". • • • • • •• 59 n 1L I '> 1 The Index offenses (prior to this law) \1 were Murder and ~,I Non-negligent manslaughter, Forcible Rape, Robbery, Aggra­ 0 vated Assault, Burglary, Larceny-Theft, and Motor Vehicle (--\ Theft (FBI, Crime in the U.S. 1978, p. 2). I 1 ~I f\L_.i i, ' r,",J",' 1 L ,\, .- / ... ~. ,~ ... -.-.. "-. ~.Jl.~ ..eect "'-------------------_.. _.. 2 m m 3 '.>. Arson m m reasonably should kno~ t~at one or more persons are A person commits arson when, by means of fire or pre~ent therein 6r (2) any person s~ffers ~reat bod­ explosive, he knowingly: I ,I ily harm, or permanent disability or disfigurement as a result of the fire or explosion or (3) a fire­ (a) Damages any real p~operty, or any personal I J ma~ or policeman who 'is present at the scene acting property having a value of $150 or more, of another in the line of duiy, is injured as a result of the without his consent; or i I fire or explosion. Attempted Arson (b) With intent to defraud an insurer, damages any or any property having a value I I ~~operty pe~sonal 0 of $150 or more. A person commits an attempt when, with intent to I m commit a specific offense (e.g. arson), he does any Property "of another" means a building or other act which constitutes a substantial step toward the property, whether real or personal, in which a per­ I m" commission of that offense. son other than the offender has an interes~ which the offender has no authority to defeat or impair, I m Arson is a crime that poses difficult reporting problems. even though the offen der· may a 1 so h a ve an ·.L~nterest Any single arson inCident can involve as many as three agencies in the building or property. j that collect arson data. It will usually involve at least one I of them, unless' the. crime is never detected.or reported, in Possession of Explosive or Incendiary Devices which case no data are collected. The three agencies are (1) I :1 fire departments, (2) police departments, and (3) insurance A person commits the offense of possession of agencies. Each of these agencie$ collects and reports different explosives or Incen" d"lary dev'"ces_ l"n vl"olation of I I kinds of information about arson, and although some overlap this Section when he possesses, manufactures or takes place, an accurate description of the arson problem in transports any explosive compound, timing or deton­ IllinOis would be unobtainable without considering these three I I sources. ating device for use with any explosive compound or incendiary device anq either intends to use such .~ explosive or device to commit any offense or knows I This paper describes six major sources of data on arson in Illinois; that another intends to use such explosive or de­ vice to commit a felony. I D <, :' IllinOis Uniform Crime Reports; r-1 Aggravated Arson 1 Chicago Police Department Bomb and Arson Unit; I I:.,.) IllinOis Courts; - IllinOis Department of Corrections; ,--:) Office, of the State Fire Marshal; and A person commit;'a~gravated arson ~hen by means L - Metropolitan Cbicago Loss Bureau. I _oJ of fire pr explosive he knowinglY'd~mages1 partially or totally, any build~ng or structure, including any For each source, this report provides information concerning I rJ-....: adjacent building or