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Update from Beat 1932's CAPS Meeting (Ashland/Lincoln/Fullerton)
In the past two month period in this beat, there were 26 thefts, including from vehicles on Lill, a number of which had their doors unlocked, 4 catalytic converters, and 1 license plate. There have also been theft of bags/phones at restaurants- keep an eye on them, and don’t let people place things over them or use them. A common scam in the past has been for people to come up to the table asking you to sign something, putting the paper over your phone, and taking your phone when they remove the paper. There were 8 motor vehicle thefts including 1 attempt of a Hyundai; a lower number of Kias and Hyundais are being stolen due to the update; make sure to get it if you haven’t already. The 19th district still is giving out steering wheel locks at the station. One car was stolen on the 1100 block of Lill by someone with a universal key/cloner. One car was stolen after the keys were taken from a person’s bag while they were at the gym- always make sure to lock your locker.
There were 2 robberies in the beat- one was on April 9th at 6:30pm of a Walgreens delivery truck by people in a red Charger (got $5000 in cookies and cigarettes). One was on May 30 at 1am of a person on an electric scooter by males from a black Jeep who held the victim up at gunpoint.
There were 11 burglaries, many of which were to businesses. This includes the ATM at Red Hot Ranch, the safe from Left Coast, and the cash register from Las Tablas- a camera got the car’s plate- the car later was in an accident and the restaurant's cash register was found in the car; Papacito’s window was broken. There were a couple of package thefts, and a couple of bikes taken from unlocked garages (in addition to making sure your side door is always locked, make sure the overhead door is fully down before driving away). There were two house burglaries- one from a condo on the 2500 block of Southport where the family was away on vacation- $30,000 in jewelry was taken- make sure not to post on social media when you are away from home. There was a burglary of a garden apartment resulting in an arrest on the 1200 block of Diversey on May 13th at 6:30pm. Technically, it was a home invasion (burglary when there are people at home). The police found the one of the offenders still sitting on the steps and arrested her; police cameras were able to track the other offender to the Brown Line where he was arrested with the proceeds of both that and other burglaries including a stolen gun.
It was asked the difference in some of these terms. A robbery is where a person comes up to you/makes contact when demanding something from you. A theft is non-vocal, such as a pickpocketing, or when you leave your phone on the table and someone takes it. A burglary is to a residence/business. An assault is the threat of harm (“I will hit you”) whereas a battery is the actual act of harm (actually hitting you). Aggravated assault/battery is when there is a weapon.
The police spoke about the number of businesses on Lincoln that are getting hit- crews will hit as many as they can in a night. The department is putting efforts towards combating spree crimes in this area. They have both investigatory and enforcement teams with helicopter access focusing on it. Most of these spree crimes are being committed by a small number of people. Once a crew is arrested, the number of crimes committed will drop. One crew was arrested on the NW side that was responsible for 80 burglaries.
Other issues brought up by attendees included 10-20 kids hanging out at Jonquil Park at 11pm- cops will send a car by at this time; two vehicles broken into and one stolen in the alley by Wolfram and Lakewood- all have happened around 1:30-3:30am- police will put it on the radar; a problem AirBnb on the 1200 block of Draper that our office, the 19th, and the Dept of Business Affairs have all been working on (the owner has been told that he can’t rent this out), and the issue of bike cops was brought up- Bike cops work entertainment areas and at events.
One main thing to come from the meeting- “Make crime inconvenient”- Criminals will commit crimes. Make sure you’re not their target by taking preventative steps- to prevent burglaries, have better lighting on and around your property, lock doors and windows, and make sure alarms are armed (also check the retention time on your camera in the event a burglary does occur). To prevent thefts, don’t leave things in your car or unattended. To prevent robberies, don’t walk with your phone out and stay aware of your surroundings, etc. Click here for many other safety tips provided by the police.
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