Hoffman Estates residents learn about north-side crimes, prevention tips
Residents of Hoffman Estates' north side packed an elementary school cafeteria Monday night to hear details of a recent rise of crime in their area, prevention tips and further ways the police department is preparing to inform the public.
But contrary to what some had heard in advance, none of the recent crimes involved residential burglaries.
They did involve five commercial burglaries confined to a bike shop, liquor store and gas station from April to August; an unrelated assault of an employee of the liquor store during the same time frame; and eight burglaries to parked cars in a residential area, seven of which occurred on the same night.
"Every single one of these vehicles was unlocked," Hoffman Estates Police Chief Kasia Cawley said.
While the isolated vehicle burglary occurred June 28, the rest happened on Aug. 10. Cawley said the thieves had been attempting to steal the vehicles by looking for keys inside but had taken what they could instead.
Through the use of Ring doorbell video, investigators were able to identify a suspect for whom there is now an arrest warrant, Cawley said. But she added that vigilance and basic preventive measures like locking vehicles or hiding objects inside from view can make the area less attractive to opportunistic criminals.
"If they can't get what they want, they're going to leave this area," Cawley said.
The commercial burglaries occurred on the 1600 and 1700 blocks of west Algonquin Road, in and around Huntington Plaza.
The April 16 burglary of the bike shop remains under investigation, while it's believed an organized crew hit the gas station and liquor store on May 16 and another such crew burglarized the same two businesses again on Aug. 8, Cawley said.
The Hoffman Estates department is working with 25 other agencies in pursuing these crews, she added.
She emphasized that the employee assault outside the liquor store is unrelated to the burglaries but also remains under investigation.
Residents were encouraged to call 911 for any suspicious activity in progress but to call the tip line at (224) 254-0049 for any information provided after the fact. The organization of Neighborhood Watch groups was also suggested.
Cawley said the department is preparing to provide crime statistics and alerts online and to coordinate beat meetings between patrol officers and their neighborhoods.
Residents asked about opportunities for better street lighting and additional security cameras in the area, as well as about speed enforcement.