Streamwood trustee hopefuls talk crime

State police statistics show that crime in Streamwood increased last year, bucking a statewide trend.

The incumbent Streamwood trustees who are running for re-election April 7 - and who all have the support of Village President Billie Roth - aren't alarmed by the numbers.

At a Daily Herald endorsement interview, the incumbents said the statistics fuel false perceptions and that the problem is overblown.

"I don't think it's any different than Bartlett or Hoffman or Hanover or whatever," incumbent William Carlson said.

Illinois State Police statistics for 2007, the most recent number available, show statewide, crime decreased 3.1 percent from 2006. But in Streamwood crimes went up 6.6 percent. That was fueled mostly by burglaries, which rose from 47 to 84, a 78.7 percent increase.

Meanwhile, crime decreased by 8.5 percent in Bartlett and went down 5.7 percent in Hanover Park from 2006 to 2007. Crime went down 13.1 percent in the Cook County portion of Hoffman Estates during the same period, according to state police statistics.

Challengers Richard Janiec and Eric Cameron said the village should hire at least two more police officers and tackle crime more aggressively. The pair - who are aligned with Roth's challenger for village president, Trustee Jason Speer - believe crime is a bigger problem than what reported numbers reveal.

"I just think the police are understaffed and need a little bit more muscle," Cameron said.

Any new police hires would be in addition to the two new officers approved by the village board last year, when it also added three firefighters. Trustees discussed hiring more police, but incumbent William Harper noted that the village must stay within its budget. He's cautious about adding more personnel.

"Throwing bodies at it won't necessarily change the crime statistics," he said.

Harper is among the six vying for the three Streamwood trustee seats. Incumbents Michael Baumer, 52; Carlson, 79; and Harper, 58, face Cameron, 44, and Janiec, 64. Michelle Nabor, 55, is running independently.

Speer is touting a crime-free housing ordinance that would give police more authority, including the ability to go after landlords who harbor criminals as tenants. Schaumburg was the first community in the state to adopt crime-free housing, doing so in 1999, based on a program in Mesa, Ariz. Schaumburg police Lt. John Nebl said the program would be a benefit to any community, as it works with property owners to help reduce crime.

Meanwhile, Roth lauded the police department and said it's doing all it can to attack crime. She pointed to the Tri-Village Gang Force as one of the tools at police disposal.

Said Baumer: "I believe we are on the leading edge when it comes to police technology."

Janiec said he'd like police to do more at public parks, where he believes gangs have become comfortable.

Nabor and Carlson said most crime is committed by nonresidents.

"Our residents are good residents, and they report crime when they see it," Nabor said.