Meeting to address crime at Hoffman Estates condos
A meeting Thursday night is set to address issues some Hoffman Estates condominium residents have concerning police response to crime in and outside their buildings.
Hoffman Estates police Sgt. Darin Felgenhauer said police reached out to “just about every condo association” in the village to let them know about the meeting.
Police and village officials, along with the residents and management of the 11-building Highland Crossing Condominiums complex, have confirmed they will be at the meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Hoffman Estates Police Department, 411 Higgins Road.
About 2,500 people live in the Highland Crossing buildings, located near Golf and Higgins roads, along Higgins Quarter Drive, Heritage Drive, Knoll Lane, Meadow Lane and Hill Drive.
Property manager Kathy Doherty said numerous residents have contacted her in recent months asking for help on issues ranging from drunk trespassers to speeding cars that have hit children and other vehicles.
Felgenhauer said that it is not unusual for that type of crime to occur in large condominium complexes, and that police are ready to work with residents to find solutions.
“It's just trying to meet service with expectation, or at least let them know what we're allowed to service and therefore their expectations aren't unrealistic,” he said.
Often, Doherty said, police respond to calls, but don't take any action. She believes many of the problems stem from residents of the neighboring Steeple Hill Condominiums.
A member of the Steeple Hill Condominium Association board of directors said management did not want to comment on the situation. Doherty said they have been invited to the meeting.
In March, the Highland Crossing Condominium Association and the village signed an agreement that requested the regulation and enforcement of traffic and parking regulations, in addition to enforcement of all village statues and ordinances, including trespassing and loitering. But Doherty said residents feel police haven't been following through on their end of the agreement.
“I'm getting really fed up,” she said. “I'm looking for the people to be heard here.”
Sam Urbaniec, a three-year Highland Crossing resident who has been helping with maintenance and security there since 2003, said other problems at the condos include drug dealing and nonresidents sleeping in storage or laundry rooms.
“It just seems like they don't follow through,” he said of the police. “They have a hard job ... and I'm not bashing the police. It's just they have to think about the residents too. By the time they (the police) get here the people leave.”
Mayor William McLeod said he plans to be at the meeting and he is “ready to address their concerns.”