LAKEVIEW — Who knew a crying baby could stop crime?
A noisy infant likely prevented a home burglary near Seminary and Roscoe in the early hours of Jan. 24, according to Lakeview resident Adam Rosa.
In the morning, Rosa said he discovered footprints leading up to the window, snow brushed off the window sill and the outside screen removed — though the burglars (Rosa speculated there were two since the window is six feet off the ground) stopped short of entering the home.
Rosa, who is also the president of Hawthorne Neighbors, is hardly alone.
In the three months between Nov. 8 and Feb. 8, there were 128 burglaries or attempted burglaries in Lakeview, according to the most recent police data. That nearly doubles the 67 reported in the same time period 2014-2015 — although that was a decade-long low for the neighborhood and a notably cold winter.
It's also the highest number of winter burglaries since 2012, when there were 132. The decade-high total of 174 burglaries during the same three-month period in 2007.
Burglaries stand alone in this increase among frequently tracked crimes. The number of winter assaults, robberies and thefts remains almost identical to last year. Thefts from vehicles have increased to 50 from 16 last year, but are below the five-year average of 61.
Police issued an alert Thursday about six burglaries within a half-mile radius in the heart of Lakeview. Since Jan. 29, the crimes have largely taken place in the evening or late night hours. But timing can be difficult to narrow down if residents are away for long periods of time.
Police are warning the community about the burglary pattern, both during community policing meetings and through news alerts. Earlier this month, Officer Kellee Simz said half the cases in her beat involved unlocked doors or garages, and first-floor apartments were also targeted.
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Those with forced entry typically had a back window broken or the frame taken off a back door. One burglar was caught after leaving an ID at the scene, Simz said.
Rosa said he's taken precautions since the attempted burglary. He upgraded his home's security system and window locks, "especially in a vintage building with older windows that can easily be pushed open."
Police also said they arrested a "mini crew" of alleged criminals linked to various area crimes, according to Sgt. Jason Clark. Police were able to link two men to a group of three teens arrested in the brutal home invasion in the 3600 block of North Magnolia Avenue that left an elderly woman severely injured.
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"With those arrests, we're hoping our numbers will now take a nice dive down," Clark said. While it isn't always possible to file charges for every suspected burglary, Clark said detectives "definitely had a crime pattern that fit this crew."
The burglary spike comes after a series of high-profile incidents in Lakeview. In addition to the home invasion, there was a December shootout in Wrigleyville and an altercation that led to the shooting death of Lazane Clark, 55, this month.
Citywide, there has been a rise in violence in 2016, with 53 people murdered in Chicago in January and almost 300 shootings.
Since Oct. 1, the Town Hall District has grown by 15 officers, Chris Jessup said earlier this month. Jessup handles public safety relations for Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), who pledged to get more police officers in exchange for his vote for the $589 million property-tax increase.
Jessup said Friday afternoon that Tunney was awaiting an update from police on staffing numbers.
The Town Hall District is supposed to get a 35-officer boost in manpower this year, with 25 expected to join by the end of March. The current net increase of 15 officers includes eight transferred in November to the district, which includes Lakeview and parts of Lincoln Park, Uptown, Lincoln Square and North Center.
The district's next community policing meetings can be found here. For 2016, the district axed half its meetings in favor of themed meetings every other month.
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