Concerns raised about crime reporting at Gurnee Mills

Concerns about delayed notification to the public about serious crime at Gurnee Mills have resurfaced, with the issue raised at a meeting by the wife of a local school board member who works at the mall.

Detra Conley questioned why a June 5 abduction, robbery and sexual attack of a woman that started in a Gurnee Mills parking lot remained under wraps until eight days after the incident was reported to village police. She spoke at Monday's Gurnee village board session.

"Along with other employees at the Mills, I'm concerned about the general lack of prompt and accurate communication regarding criminal activities at the mall," said Conley, whose husband, Richard, is on Warren Township High School's board.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik didn't respond to Conley at Monday's meeting. However, on Thursday, she said it's wrong that Gurnee police are not getting enough credit for working diligently to quickly solve a sexual assault case.

"Rape cases, such a small percentage of them are ever solved," Kovarik said.

Convicted child molester Richard R. Gallatin, 37, of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., was arrested June 30 at the Chain O' Lakes State Park in Spring Grove and charged in the attack. A Daily Herald story led to an anonymous police tip on Gallatin's whereabouts.

Gurnee Mills General Manager Randy Ebertowski issued a statement Thursday in reaction to Conley's comments to the village board.

"We understand that communication is important and through our working relationship with Gurnee police, we did inform our retailers and their employees about the incident and the suspect's capture. As with any criminal investigation by any law enforcement agency, we follow their lead concerning when information can be distributed. We will continue to issue safety tips and other pertinent information to them on a regular basis," Ebertowski said.

Gurnee Mills also was an issue at a June 21 village board meeting, when Trustee Greg Garner scrapped with Kovarik after he criticized the timeliness of public notification about serious mall crime.

At Monday's Gurnee village board meeting, Conley said she supported Garner for bringing up the issue of less-than-timely police news last month. She called on the village board, police and Gurnee Mills management to devise a way to quickly release information about serious mall incidents.

"Employees at the mall should feel safe and secure," Conley said, "(and) while we should always be diligent about our safety, we should also be aware of when to heighten our awareness."

Kovarik said she believes Conley's village board speech was a "set up" orchestrated by her political foe Garner. Conley said she spoke out on behalf of others who work at Gurnee Mills and that Garner had nothing to do with it.

"We feel our safety is not a concern at all," Conley said. "Not at all."

Kovarik reiterated that police would never have jeopardized public safety by suppressing reports on the June 5 incident. She said critics don't know the process the police use before deciding when to go public with information.

"They knew the community was safe," Kovarik said of police. "I know this. I work with these guys. They would have gone door-to-door (for the suspect) if they had to."