Good news and bad news regarding the burglaries in Sun City was delivered last week by Huntley Police Chief John Perkins.
First, the good news on finding the perpetrators.
“We have identified the offenders and even questioned some of them, and now they know that we know who they are,” he told a Sun City Current Events Club meeting in Prairie Lodge. “This has served to slow down the frequency of incidents significantly. The last one was a couple of months ago, and the incidents are occurring much less frequently than when they started in 2011.”
Then, the bad.
“We don’t have enough physical evidence yet, however, to formally arrest anyone, charge them, and prosecute them. They are professionals who do this for a living. They carefully watch for opportunities when victims are not home, and wear gloves. They are adept at leaving little or no evidence behind.” He repeated the information that the incidents occur during daylight hours and entrance is almost always made through the front door.
The group operates in a wide area from southern Wisconsin and the Rockford area to Chicago, he said.
“Sun City is conveniently located [for them] on Route 47, which is one of their main routes of transportation up and down the area.”
He also said that the offending group includes men and women, and that the person that usually actually enters a home and removes cash and jewelry is a woman.
“They also have a savvy group of lawyers who train these offenders how to act when questioned,” he added. “While it hasn’t happened in our cases in Huntley, this group has a history of offering large amounts of money to victims to drop the charges. We have heard of cases where a person is apprehended, and before the matter goes to trial, the lawyers offer $10,000 to a victim who lost $5,000 worth of items in the break-in. The victims take the money and refuse to press charges. These offenders are well-funded from their activities.”
Perkins and newly-appointed Fire Chief Ken Caudle updated about 75 Sun Citians about the burglars’ activities at a 90-minute session in Fountain View Center on Oct. 16.
Also regarding the burglaries, Perkins demonstrated the latest anti-theft alarm device available on the market. It’s a doorstop-like device that emits a loud alarm whistle when stepped on or when a door is pushed against it.
“They sell for $7 or $15 at Lowe’s or Home Depot, and we believe they could help safeguard your homes,” he said.
On other police-related subjects, Perkins said a community survey earlier this year revealed a 93 percent approval rating of the department from residents but had some suggestions for improvement.
“In an earlier survey in 2009, we had a 68 percent approval rating, so we’re pleased about that,” he said. Also this year, 92 percent of residents said they felt safe in their neighborhoods. In Sun City, we’ve had the break-ins, several incidents of vandalism to property and vehicles, and we had a murder earlier this year. So folks in Sun City are understandably concerned.”
Overall in Huntley, criminal activity is down 12 percent in 2012 from 2011, and down 19 percent from five years ago, he said.
“The 2012 survey revealed that citizens want us to focus on drunk driving, general crime, and burglaries. We were somewhat surprised to discover that one of these priorities was on local illegal drug activity. Folks also suggested we provide more crime information to the community, try to reduce incidents of cars parked across sidewalks, provide more police visibility in neighborhoods, more bicycle and foot patrols, and consider increasing the speed limit on James Dhamer Road on the south edge of Sun City.”
On this last topic, he said, the department plans to conduct a speed and traffic survey on Dhamer to determine if the speed limit can be increased from 35 to 45 miles per hour.
Caudle said the proposed new Centegra Hospital at Algonquin and Haligus Roads will permit Huntley paramedics to transport patients to an emergency room much faster.
“It takes 15 to 25 minutes to get to Sherman Hospital on Randall Road, depending on traffic, and the travel time to the new Centegra will take an average of five minutes,” he said. “This also will allow us to make a run and get our emergency vehicles back in service sooner.”
In response to a question from the audience, Caudle said state law does not give patients the right to be taken to any hospital of their choosing in an ambulance.
“The law requires us to take a patient to the closest available hospital that has resources to deal with the problems the patient is having,” he said. “The new Centegra Hospital will not be a cardiac-certified facility, so we will continue to take patients to Sherman or other hospitals in cardiac cases.”
A fourth fire station was recently opened at Square Barn and Algonquin Roads, and the department is considering adding a fifth station near Huntley High School on the west side of Sun City, Caudle said.
“We were fortunate to obtain a piece of steel from the World Trade Center wreckage on 9/11, and it is located in our fourth station, along with pictures of the 343 firefighters who died that day in New York City,” Caudle said.
He also advised residents to educate themselves on smoke, carbon monoxide, and natural gas detectors to safeguard their homes. Residents should upgrade or replace fire extinguishers every five years and do the same for smoke detectors every seven to eight years, he added.
“We also recommend that you make 911 calls on land line phones whenever possible, instead of cell phones,” he advised. “It takes cell phone calls longer to reach a dispatcher because the call is routed to a cell phone tower and then sent to the destination.”
