ENGLEWOOD — For the third time since Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) was elected, his ward office has been vandalized.
Lopez got a call from a resident around 10 p.m. Monday about someone breaking into the ward office at 1650 W. 63rd Street. The burglar threw a rock through the storefront's glass door — just as someone did in November 2015.
On Monday, the burglar entered the building and even turned on the back lights near Lopez's office, he said, but nothing was stolen.
“We believe it was the same person, same ‘MO,’” Lopez said.
Since there’s no alarm system for the building, he relies on neighbors to report anything unusual, he said. With this being the third incident— the second one happened about a week after the first one— Lopez said he’s considering installing a system now, as well as finding an alternative to a glass door.
[Provided by Ald. Lopez]
“Obviously, no camera or [alarm] system will stop someone from trying to come in,” he said, “But I refuse to put up bars or gates on the windows.”
He said it’ll send the wrong message because he believes the person who has done it has a mental health issue.
“This just highlights the need to invest more dollars in helping people who are on the street with mental health issues,” he said. “The neighborhood has always been great during these incidents, even standing guard until we get here.”
