LINCOLN PARK — Police hope five burglary arrests in October and early November will put an end to a string of burglaries in western Lincoln Park and southwest Lakeview.
There were 14 burglaries in Chicago Police beat 1931 from Oct. 1 through Nov. 5, but seven of those were due to residents leaving windows or doors unlocked or even open, according to police.
"Everyone recognizes that this is a burglary issue, but overall crime is down," Chicago Police Sgt. Beth Giltmier said.
The area experiencing the spike in burglaries is bordered by Fullerton Avenue to the south, Ashland Avenue to the east, Belmont Avenue to the north and the river to the west.
Police at a CAPS meeting Monday night warned residents to lock their windows, but one woman in attendance said a burglar kicked in a second-floor door of her home in the 1900 block of West Oakdale and swiped cash and precious jewelry from her drawers.
Of the five people arrested on burglary charges, a man and his female accomplice told police they burglarized three or four homes a week in the area, Giltmier said.
Police arrested the two suspects on Oct. 25, and hope to see a significant drop in burglaries because of the arrest.
About three months ago, there was a spike in robberies and a few "key people" were arrested, which has resulted in a drop in robberies, Giltmier said. She said many robberies are committed by criminals seeking quick drug money and those criminals might be refocusing their efforts on homes rather than people.
"Now, with robberies going down, we have seen a couple of cat burglars when people are home at night," she said, referring to skilled burglars who stealthily enter homes.
