keep your eyes open

We've had a few recent crime patterns worth noting.

In central and north Beverly, there were several incidents of teens being assaulted and robbed of iPhones and other electronics in the last two weeks. These incidents happened when the teens were just walking down the street. A suspect was arrested, and he identified his accomplices, who were also arrested.


Several home burglaries were reported in north Beverly in the last few weeks - on Hamilton, Leavitt, Hoyne and Winchester, all at the north end of the neighborhood. All homes were entered via first floor windows. According to police, laptops, cell phones, cash and small valuables were taken. An observant neighbor, knowing that the neighbors weren't home, called 911 after seeing activity at their house. Speedy response by a beat car resulted in the arrest of 3 suspects.

A few days ago, I went to the 99th St. Metra station to catch a train to the Loop. As I reached the station, I noticed something odd: the copper downspout on the street side of the station was missing, and the wire that ran inside it was just dangling. As I noticed where the straps attaching it to the wall had been ripped out, a Metra police officer pulled up and asked what was up. I showed him where the downspout was missing and he called it in. This is part of an ongoing problem with vandalism and theft at this beautifully restored station. When the officer was talking to the station attendant, she said that a customer mentioned seeing something odd but didn't understand what was happening, so she didn't call police. That customer had actually seen the copper thieves getting away with the downspout. If she'd thought a little more about what she was seeing and called police, the thieves might have been caught red handed.

Want to see information on recent crime in the 22nd district? Click here.

Observant neighbors can make the difference between being plagued with crime and making the neighborhood safer. Police can't be everywhere all the time. Our information has helped them solve recent crimes. If we continue to keep our eyes open and report problems or suspicious activity, we can help them keep us safer. Look out for yourself and your neighbors. Help keep our neighborhood safe by calling 911 when you see suspicious activity.