Rolling Meadows cops: 'Pillowcase burglaries' not necessarily related

Within a few hours over the weekend, three Rolling Meadows homes were burglarized and ransacked, according to police. Each time the robber or robbers stole pillowcases in order to carry away the loot undetected, said Cmdr. Thomas Calcagno of the Rolling Meadows Police Department.

"It's very common," Calcagno said. "They use pillowcases so they don't look as suspicious."

The first incident occurred sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. on Friday when someone forced open a rear window to a home in the 2100 block of Vermont Street and ransacked the master bedroom and office area. One pillowcase and some jewelry were reported missing, according to police reports.

A burglar also forced open the rear door to a home in the 2100 block of Vermont Street between 11 p.m. on Friday and 12:15 a.m. on Saturday and a bedroom and office area were ransacked. The only items reported missing were two pillowcases.

At a home in the 4300 block of Kirchoff Road, someone forced open the front door between 10 p.m. on Friday and 12:28 a.m. on Saturday, ransacked several rooms including bedrooms and an office. Items reported missing include a container of loose change and a wedding band of unknown value.

Calcagno said detectives are following up on a few leads as they continue to investigate these crimes. "While similar in nature, these burglaries were committed in a manner that is quite common so connecting them to one offender would be difficult at this time," Calcagno said.

Detectives recently hosted a meeting of about a dozen area police departments that have also experienced similar residential burglaries, Calcagno said.

Residents should call 911 if they see suspicious vehicles or people in their neighborhoods. Suspicious activity includes unfamiliar vehicles, vehicles driving slowly, unfamiliar people entering or leaving a neighbor's home, and loud noises such as yelling or screaming, Calcagno said.