community alert: theft of car wheels

From Chicago Police 22nd district:

Wanted for Theft of Car Wheels 22nd District (Morgan Park)

About This Crime:
 This alert gives notice to residents of the Morgan Park (22nd) District of five recent Theft incidents that occurred in the Beverly neighborhood on December 9th, 10th & 17th. In all of these incidents, unknown offenders use a hydraulic jack to lift up a car, remove all four wheels from the car, and leave the car on cinderblocks. Three of the thefts occur in the daytime in the area of the Metra Tracks while the owners were at work. The other two thefts occurred during the midnight hours on the 9900 Block of Western and 11000 block of Campbell.

About The Offenders:
 On December 5th one Male African American Adult and one Juvenile were arrested for taking the wheels off a car on the 9400 Block of South Damen. Offenders were driving a Purple Monte Carlo. This car may still be involved in the recent thefts.
Safety Tips:

•   Consider installing an audible car alarm on your auto.
  
•   Park your car in a well lit and high traffic area.
  
•   Be aware of this situation and alert neighbors in the area about this crime.
  
•   Call 911 immediately and provide a detailed description of any suspicious people
  including any vehicle description and license plate information.
  
  If you have any information about this incident call:
  Area South Property Crimes Bureau at 312-747-8273
  Reference RD#s HX-536281, HX-536903, HX-537611, HX-537900, HX-546027 
  

Is your bike safe?

In the last few years, bike theft has increased in the neighborhood.  I often see bikes at and near our Metra stations that are only secured against the most amateur thieves and are left all day, vulnerable to the first thief with a bolt cutter.  The cable locks that were sufficient when many of us were kids are a joke to today's bike thieves.

This blog post contains a lot of good tips about how to lock your bike, and highlights some common mistakes.

what's missing from the garden?

This morning I was finishing my spring clean-up of last season's overwintered plant growth and made a disappointing discovery.   Until last night, a new indentation in one of our garden beds contained a large, well-established echinacea.

Now, instead of having this to look forward to in the summer,

we have this hole.

This wasn't an expensive plant, just one I've nurtured for years.  Why do people need to be so scummy?