They watch from the woods.
Northbrook police are asking residents to use their home alarms and to be vigilant following a slew of home burglaries that has netted a nationwide ring of thieves more than $500,000 in cash and jewelry in Northbrook alone.
“We’ve had contact with other communities in Illinois and nationally and believe the same group is responsible,” said detective commander Jamison Hanselman. “Large amounts of jewelry and cash have been taken. We do have evidence that they do have a fencing outfit that they’re working with.”
He said Northbrook has had at least six residential burglaries in the past 12 months and the department on Nov. 3 issued an alert on Twitter and on other social media platforms advising residents of the crimes while asking them to make sure their home alarm systems are activated even if they’re only going out to run an errand.
“If you’re running out for a short period, within five minutes they’re able to break into a house and go through a house pretty fast,” he said. “It doesn’t take them long to get in and out.”
According to the alert, in many cases larger homes adjacent to wooded area have been targeted by the burglars.
“I think they’re using the woods and the tree lines to secret themselves,” Hanselman said. “They’re parking pretty far away and walking in so they’re not being noticed by anybody in a residence or driving by because they’re in the woods and these homes butt up to the woods so they’re able to access the house from the woods without being seen by anybody.”
He said police believe the burglary ring is responsible for at least 250 residential break-ins in the Chicagoland in the past year.
“This group is a very prolific group in our area, Chicago, the suburbs and throughout some of the more wealthy communities in the United States,” he added. “It’s a bigger group and a bigger crime pattern than just Northbrook.”
He also said authorities in another state recently arrested two people they believe are part of the nationwide burglary ring.
“We are working with that agency and have sent detectives there to speak with those offenders we believe to be related to our burglaries in this area,” said Hanselman.
He said most of the Northbrook burglaries are being committed in the late afternoon and early evening hours and that no one has been injured or confronted the thieves.
He also asked residents to be vigilant and to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
“We would love to be called sooner rather than later and respond to the area and check out any type of suspicious vehicles or people ahead of time, versus trying to catch up later,” he said. “We’d rather investigate it as it’s happening.”
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.