Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Paging Neighborhood Watch, Part 2


A reader writes: "I was reading the blog this morning and read the "Paging Neighborhood Watch" posting and thought that I would send you another picture. My car was parked on W. Carmen Ave at Marine Drive (in front of 901 W. Carmen) on Friday night and someone broke out my back passenger window and entered the trunk through the back seat and stole both of the tail lights (the red plastic molded covers!). Obviously the current economic conditions are making people more desperate and we all need to watch for suspicious and illegal behavior."

12 comments:

  1. Another heads up. I live in the 4700 block of Kenmore Ave. just north of Leland. Sometime yesterday b/w 12pm and 5pm someone attempted to pop the lock on our condo's back door. It seems they tried to use a rigged up lock pick that has messed up our lock and put two dimple dents in the door handle. Also, last Wed. someone kicked in our back gate b/w 2pm and 5pm so that the deadbolt is now bent at a 45 degree angle.

    Based on these obvious attempts to break in, I filed a report with 311 and alerted our CAPS office to the daytime criminal activity. Hopefully that will get us some more daytime patrols.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have the same damn car!!! For a minute there I thought my wife posted this. But I promise, we are still using our own tail lights. Sorry for your annoying situation, but I am beginning to find this stuff almost laughable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. An inexpensive idea. Hook up a camera to your laptop that will automatically send u an email with a picture of whomever crossed its path.Since it can be inside your home noone can see it and u are not bending any condo rules

    ReplyDelete
  4. In edgewater buildings are using a camera system that the police spoke of at the Uptown CAPs meeting, several buildings can share the cost and you can view everything from home and the police are using it.

    Down at da North Pole (see Youtube) aka Thorndae where drug dealing is the law of the land, this has been used to id these bastards.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I had something similar happen to me a few years ago. Someone broke my drivers side window to open my hood to steal a headlamp assembly. When I took it to the dealer to find out the replacement cost I understood why - several hundred dollars and a month wait. I just duct-taped a new headlamp in the socket and went on my way.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Why does this person still have Michigan plates on their car?

    ReplyDelete
  7. A new taillight assembly will be $300 at the dealer. Or, you can buy one for $50 from someone who just upgraded their stock lights from tricked out lights. Then install it yourself. That's what I did when someone backed into a taillight of mine several years ago.

    I recommend packaging 20-30 kg of powdered sugar into plastic bricks and leaving it in the back of your car. Either the criminal would be dumb enough to think it's coke, but most would probably think it's a bait for a sting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Resident, the answer is easy. So they don't have to pay high Chicago, Cook COunty and/or IL taxes and fees! I know several people with "second" homes out of state (usually WI) who register their vehicles in those states to take advantage of lower costs.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I suggest filing a report with 911 (I repeat: 911) if and when something like this occurs. It was a criminal activity. You would not file 311 if someone broke your condo window and stole all your light bulbs would you? Yesterday, while walking my dog on Marine Dr between Ainslie and Castlewood, I noticed two vehicles with their windows smashed in. I do not believe these are random incidences. These crimes need to be reported to the police. If they are not reported, it looks as though Crime in the Uptown area is down as opposed to last year. Sound familiar?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jason: Your assumption is wrong. Plates on um, say a 2005 top end Cadillac are $78 (flat fee in Illinois) and approx. $268 (based on vehicle base price) in Michigan. Probably just somebody visiting who now can't wait to get back to the Detroit 'burbs. Heck, even Detroit city proper - they're not this petty there. They'd just take the whole car but there isn't a market for whole or parted out 10+ year old cars there as here.

    ReplyDelete
  11. My bike was stolen from in front of my building on Montrose...a half block east of Malden early Saturday morning. They cut my Kryptonite U-lock.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Actually, No Different...there's more to it...

    IL Drivers Lic - $10
    IL Plates - $79
    * or Vanity Plates (Like on this car) - $92

    IL Title - $65
    Chicago City Sticker - $150 (per year)

    So, pending plate type...it's either $304 or $317.

    I'll tend to agree with Jason on this one...

    I intervened a break-in on a rainy night about this time last year on a pick-up truck on Winona about this time last year. Smash & grab though for the out-of-town plates. Guy in a silver Grand Am trying to steal a GPS unit left on the dash. Took the police about 8 minutes to get there...no report, no nothing. They couldn't contact the owner as they were out of state plates.

    ReplyDelete