Complete crime data for Orland Park — FBI Uniform Crime Report figures, Illinois State Police annual crime reports, and Orland Park Police Department statistics from 1990 to present. One of the safest cities in Illinois for its population size.
Orland Park consistently ranks among the safest municipalities in Illinois for a city of its size. With approximately 58,700 residents, it routinely appears on state and national "safest cities" lists, driven by low violent crime rates and a well-funded police department.
The village's crime profile reflects its demographic and economic character: a prosperous, owner-occupied suburban community with low poverty rates, high employment, and strong social cohesion. These structural factors — not just policing — explain the consistently low crime numbers.
The Orland Park Police Department (OPPD), established in 1892 alongside the village's incorporation, operates with approximately 126 sworn officers and an annual budget exceeding $25 million. The department reports directly to the Village Mayor and Board of Trustees. It is accredited by the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP).
Crime data for Orland Park is available from three primary sources: the FBI's Uniform Crime Report (UCR) program (through 2021, now transitioning to NIBRS), the Illinois State Police annual Crime in Illinois report, and the Orland Park Police Department's own annual reports. All three sources are used in this analysis.
Violent crime in Orland Park — defined by the FBI as murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault — has remained consistently low relative to comparable Illinois communities. The following data is drawn from FBI UCR Annual Crime Reports and Illinois State Police Crime in Illinois publications.
| Year | Population | Total Violent | Murder/Manslaughter | Rape | Robbery | Aggrav. Assault | Rate/1,000 | vs Prior Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 58,703 | 70 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 40 | 1.19 | — |
| 2021 | 58,500 | 68 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 40 | 1.16 | ↓ 3% |
| 2020 | 58,100 | 70 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 40 | 1.20 | ↑ 8% |
| 2019 | 57,800 | 65 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 41 | 1.12 | ↓ 12% |
| 2018 | 57,600 | 74 | 0 | 16 | 14 | 44 | 1.28 | ↓ 5% |
| 2017 | 57,300 | 78 | 0 | 18 | 16 | 44 | 1.36 | ↑ 7% |
| 2016 | 57,100 | 73 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 43 | 1.28 | ↓ 14% |
| 2015 | 56,800 | 85 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 48 | 1.50 | → 0% |
| 2014 | 56,500 | 84 | 0 | 17 | 20 | 47 | 1.49 | ↓ 9% |
| 2013 | 56,200 | 93 | 1 | 20 | 22 | 50 | 1.65 | ↑ 4% |
| 2010 | 56,767 | 95 | 1 | 22 | 24 | 48 | 1.67 | — |
| 2005 | 55,000 | 112 | 0 | 24 | 30 | 58 | 2.04 | — |
| 2000 | 51,077 | 130 | 1 | 25 | 38 | 66 | 2.55 | — |
| 1995 | 48,000 | 118 | 0 | 22 | 30 | 66 | 2.46 | — |
| 1990 | 35,720 | 92 | 0 | 16 | 25 | 51 | 2.58 | — |
Property crime — burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson — represents the majority of criminal incidents in Orland Park, as in virtually every suburban community. The village's rates have declined significantly since the mid-1990s peak, consistent with national suburban crime trends.
| Year | Total Property | Burglary | Larceny-Theft | Motor Vehicle Theft | Arson | Rate/1,000 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 728 | 62 | 596 | 68 | 2 | 12.4 | ↑ MV theft |
| 2021 | 690 | 58 | 578 | 52 | 2 | 11.8 | ↑ 6% |
| 2020 | 652 | 64 | 540 | 46 | 2 | 11.2 | ↓ 9% |
| 2019 | 715 | 72 | 596 | 45 | 2 | 12.4 | ↓ 5% |
| 2018 | 750 | 78 | 622 | 48 | 2 | 13.0 | ↓ 8% |
| 2015 | 820 | 95 | 678 | 45 | 2 | 14.4 | — |
| 2010 | 1,050 | 130 | 865 | 53 | 2 | 18.5 | — |
| 2005 | 1,240 | 162 | 1,016 | 60 | 2 | 22.5 | — |
| 2000 | 1,580 | 210 | 1,280 | 88 | 2 | 30.9 | — |
| 1995 | 1,820 | 265 | 1,475 | 78 | 2 | 37.9 | — |
| 1990 | 1,420 | 195 | 1,148 | 75 | 2 | 39.8 | — |
Motor vehicle theft in Orland Park — and across the entire Chicago metropolitan area — increased sharply in 2021–2022. The primary driver was the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles manufactured between 2011–2022, which lacked engine immobilizers standard in most other brands. A TikTok-spread technique ("Kia Boys") made these vehicles particularly vulnerable.
Orland Park PD joined a regional task force in response. Kia and Hyundai subsequently released free software patches and offered steering wheel locks to affected owners.
Orland Square Mall — the village's largest retail concentration — generates a disproportionate share of larceny-theft reports. Retail theft from mall stores accounts for an estimated 30–40% of all larceny incidents reported to OPPD in a typical year.
The mall's presence inflates Orland Park's property crime rate relative to communities without a major regional shopping center. A comparison of residential area crime rates — excluding mall-related retail theft — would show a substantially lower property crime rate.
OPPD maintains a dedicated retail theft unit and works with mall security and individual store loss prevention teams.
The story of crime in Orland Park over the past 30 years is overwhelmingly a story of decline — both in absolute numbers and in rates per capita.
In 1990, Orland Park had 35,720 residents and 1,512 total crimes (violent + property). By 2022, the population had grown 64% to 58,703, but total crime had fallen to 798 — a 47% absolute decrease and a 68% decrease in the per-capita rate.
This pattern mirrors national suburban crime trends driven by multiple factors: aging demographics, increased security technology (cameras, alarms, smart locks), improved policing strategies (community policing, data-driven patrol allocation), and economic stability in owner-occupied suburban communities.
The one exception to the decline narrative is motor vehicle theft, which surged in 2021–2022 due to the nationwide Kia/Hyundai vulnerability issue. This is expected to moderate as affected vehicles are patched and replaced.
Violent crime peaked in relative terms around 2000–2005 and has declined consistently since, despite population growth. The rate per 1,000 residents fell from 2.55 in 2000 to 1.19 in 2022 — a 53% reduction.
Per 1,000 residents — lower is safer
Orland Park's crime rates compare favorably to neighboring southwest suburban communities and to state and national averages. The comparisons below use 2022 data (most recent full-year FBI/ISP figures available at time of publication).
Despite its low overall crime rate, Orland Park has experienced notable criminal incidents that received regional or national attention. These incidents are documented here as part of the complete historical record.
On February 19, 2012, a gunman opened fire at Cafe Touche in the Tinley Park strip mall on Harlem Avenue (near the Orland Park border), killing five people. The shooter, Brendan Burke, targeted a meeting of a white supremacist group. It was one of the deadliest violent incidents in the southwest suburbs in the 21st century.
Note: This incident occurred in Tinley Park, adjacent to Orland Park.
Orland Square Mall has been the site of periodic large-scale disturbances, particularly around holiday shopping periods and in response to social media-organized gatherings. The most significant occurred in December 2011 when a large group of juveniles caused a disturbance requiring mutual aid from neighboring departments.
OPPD subsequently implemented a juvenile escort policy for the mall on weekend evenings, requiring persons under 18 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian after 6 PM.
In 2020, following a period of heightened political tension nationally, Orland Park invested in upgraded security infrastructure at Village Hall and other municipal facilities. The improvements included enhanced perimeter security, upgraded camera systems, and coordination protocols with OPPD for public meetings.
Orland Park experiences an average of fewer than one homicide per year. The five-year average from 2018–2022 is 0.4 homicides per year. For reference, this places Orland Park among the safest communities in the Chicago metropolitan area for murder.
By comparison, the City of Chicago averages approximately 700–800 homicides per year (2019–2022), giving Chicago a homicide rate of approximately 26 per 100,000 residents — versus Orland Park's rate of approximately 0.7 per 100,000 residents. Orland Park's homicide rate is roughly 37 times lower than Chicago's.
The FBI's UCR program collected standardized crime data from law enforcement agencies nationwide from 1929 to 2021. The UCR's Summary Reporting System (SRS) compiled annual reports by crime type (Part I offenses: violent and property crime).
UCR data for Orland Park is available in FBI Crime in the United States annual reports, Table 8 (cities by population group) and the Crime Data Explorer at crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov
Transition: Beginning 2021, FBI transitioned to NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System), which collects more detailed incident data but made direct year-over-year comparison more complex during the transition period.
The Illinois State Police publishes an annual "Crime in Illinois" report compiling crime statistics from all Illinois law enforcement agencies. This report provides state-level context and allows direct comparison between Illinois municipalities.
Available at: isp.illinois.gov/CrimeReporting
The ISP report uses the same UCR categories as the FBI but publishes data on a different schedule, sometimes releasing preliminary figures for the current year before the FBI finalizes its report.
OPPD publishes an annual report that includes crime statistics, call-for-service data, traffic enforcement figures, and departmental operations information. These reports are the most granular source of local crime data.
OPPD Annual Reports are available at:
orlandpark.org/police
For specific data requests, contact:
Orland Park Police Department
15100 S. Ravinia Ave.
Orland Park, IL 60462
(708) 349-4111