Burglaries Soar 116% (And City Says It’s YOUR Fault!)

Image: TelegraphUK

A 92-year-old Lake View woman has become one of the latest additions to the North Side’s ever-growing list of burglary victims.

The woman answered her front door Friday afternoon to speak with a man who claimed to be a utility worker. The “worker” entered the front while his partner entered the back and stole “a large sum of money” from the woman. Both men then fled.

An acquaintance tells us that the woman was not injured in the incident.

A Year To Forget

Through August 6, reported break-ins are:

• up 116% in Wrigleyville and Boystown (138 cases this year vs. 64 last)
• up 116% in Lake View (281 vs. 130)
• up 54% in Lincoln Park (169 vs. 110)
• up 57% across the 19th police district
• up 9.3% citywide

Of the nearby community areas, only Uptown has seen a decrease in burglaries this year, with 63 cases compared to 67 last year.

It’s Your Fault

A community policing officer at a recent neighborhood meeting blamed the burglary increase on residents who leave their windows and doors unlocked.

But, when an audience member pointed out the obvious—that it seems more likely that there are 100% more criminals in the area than 100% more people leaving doors and windows unlocked—the officer had little to offer.

Do you open your windows to let in a breeze during summer? Well, in the world of police statistics, if a burglar crawls through one of those windows while you’re sleeping that counts as “leaving a window or door open.” (Just ask the folks who got burglarized overnight Friday in the 3800 block of N. Paulina about that. They probably didn’t know that they weren’t allowed to let fresh air into their home during the summertime.)

Do you have a window A/C unit? Guess what? If a burglar pushes the unit into your home and crawls through the window, that is also considered “leaving a window or door open.” (Ask the poor sap whose house was burglarized that way on Tuesday in the 800 block of W. Cuyler.)

PS—Later in the neighborhood meeting, the CAPS officer did volunteer to go on a bike ride with a resident, so there’s that. Here at CWB, we’d still prefer that the entire CAPS program be disbanded and every one of its officers re-assigned to do something useful. Like looking for burglars instead of going on feel good bike rides.

Sightings

At least two Boystown residents caught glimpses of men who tried to break into their homes last week.

• A woman told police that a man crashed through her back door around 9PM on Wednesday in the 800 block of W. Roscoe. The offender, described as a black man in a red t-shirt, saw the woman, screamed “Oh! Crap!” and fled the scene.

• A tenant in the 800 block of W. Buckingham called police after an unknown person broke into their home around 12:30AM last Saturday. The offender fled without taking anything.

The List

Other burglaries that have been confirmed by 19th district police in the past month: