Property owners in Bloomington can breathe a bit easier this year, with the city’s “Big 3” property crimes dropping 9% compared to 2024 YTD. However, a closer examination of five-year trends reveals a complex story of evolving criminal patterns that property owners should understand as we close out Q3 2025.

This breakdown examines crime statistics from January to August, spanning 2021 through 2025, to provide property owners with crucial insights into how criminal activity has shifted in their community.

Overall Crime Picture: The Bloomington Police Department (BPD) received 12,195 criminal calls from January through August 2025, marking a 5% decrease from the same period in 2024. While this represents progress, the decline is modest when viewed against longer trends—only 3% and 4% decreases compared to 2023 and 2022 respectively. This suggests crime levels may be stabilizing rather than dramatically improving.

The Property Owner’s Reality

For property owners, the story centers on three primary concerns: theft, trespassing, and vandalism—collectively known as the “Big 3.” These crimes have consistently represented roughly 30% of all police calls over the past five years, making them a persistent challenge for property owners.

Theft patterns tell a story of gradual improvement. With 1,323 reported incidents through August 2025, theft calls dropped significantly from 2024’s 1,604 cases. This represents the lowest eight-month total in the five-year period, suggesting that anti-theft measures or economic factors may be having a positive impact.

Trespassing presents the most complex trend. At 2,171 calls in 2025, trespassing remains the most frequent property crime, though it’s declined from 2024’s 2,245 incidents. However, the five-year data reveals dramatic fluctuations—from a low of 1,432 calls in 2021 to peaks exceeding 2,200 in recent years.

📌 Why this matters: While theft reports are down, trespassing continues to demand attention. Because suspects often leave the scene before police arrive, many calls never turn into actionable reports — leaving property owners without resolution. Partnering with MSI Security for an on-site, roaming security presence significantly reduces response time, allows for early intervention, and increases the likelihood of catching and addressing trespassers before damage or loss occurs.

Vandalism shows encouraging progress. With just 354 reported cases through August 2025, vandalism has reached its lowest point in the five-year tracking period. This represents a substantial improvement from 2021’s concerning peak of 607 incidents, indicating that community efforts to address property destruction may be working.

Seasonal Considerations: Property owners should note that criminal activity typically decreases during winter months which is likely due to colder weather patterns. This seasonal drop means that current January-August figures may not fully represent year-end totals, though the consistent timing of these patterns allows for reliable year-over-year comparisons.

The Bigger Picture

While the 9% decrease in property crimes offers genuine cause for optimism, the persistence of these crimes at roughly 30% of all police calls demonstrates that property-related offenses remain a core challenge for Bloomington crime. Property owners should continue investing in security measures, such as those mentioned in our article Five Strategies to Prevent Property Crime, while recognizing that community-wide trends are generally moving in a positive direction.

The data suggests that while Bloomington hasn’t eliminated property crime concerns, sustained attention to these issues appears to be yielding measurable results for property owners across the community.

📊 Data Source: B-Clear Open Data Portal, City of Bloomington