WILMETTE – The Wilmette Police Department has charged 11 people in 14 out of 17 auto thefts in the village, prompting the department on August 29 to issued another crime alert urging people to lock their cars and remove the keys and key fobs from the vehicle.
Here is the alert:
Stolen Vehicle Alert
The Wilmette Police Department is urging residents to lock their cars and remove the keys and key FOBs from their vehicles.
In the last year and a half the police department has been working a series of auto thefts where keys were left in unlocked vehicles and the vehicles were taken and subsequently used in other crimes and burglaries. The pattern started and was generally centered on the east side near the 4th & Linden “el” station. It now encompasses every area of town and numerous surrounding communities. To the right is a map indicating where autos were stolen from January 2015 thru August 2016.
Autos Recovered & Offenders Arrested
The Police Department has charged 11 individuals clearing 14 of the 17 auto theft cases. In addition we have recovered every auto stolen in the Village. Many of the offenders are juveniles, some are young adults and all have prior contacts with the criminal justice system.
The Connection to Unlocked Auto Burglaries
The auto theft pattern is closely connected to our overnight auto burglaries. The primary purpose for auto burglaries in the vast majority of these incidents is to find cars with keys or key FOBs inside so they can be easily stolen.
The Village has experienced 121 burglaries to unlocked vehicles in 2015 and 54 so far this year. These burglaries primarily occur in the overnight hours.
From the Wilmette Police Department
Auto thefts in Wilmette from January 2015, to August 2016. Image courtesy of Wilmette Police Department.
Unlocked auto burglaries in Wilmette from January 2016 to August 2016. Image courtesy of Wilmette Police Department.
Unlocked auto burglaries in Wilmette from January 2015 to August 2016. Image courtesy of Wilmette Police Department.