Easy solution to prevent thefts...

It’s almost a lock that on every given week, the police reports will be riddled with reports of thefts from vehicles.

No surprise.

What is a surprise to not only mere mortals who check the reports, but also law enforcement officials, is the cause.

Unlocked vehicles.

Seriously.

This past week was no exception except for the fact that the number of reports was exceptional.  It appears that thieves targeted parts of the village and went from car to car looking for unlocked vehicles.  Most residents whose cars were broken into, reported that the thief, or thieves, ransacked the glove compartment and, in most cases, did not find or take anything of value.

As one cop who was investigating the thefts told me, one resident told me that one resident said she didn’t think she had to lock her car because this is, after all, Buffalo Grove. Reality, what a concept.

There were, of course, exceptions. It seems that some people leave laptops, iPads and other assorted valuables in an unlocked car.

There’s an easy solution. If you’re leaving your car outside, lock it.

The same holds true if you leave something in your vehicle while it’s parked in the garage.  And oh, by the way, if you’re going to leave your garage door open, lock the door to the house.  Needless to say, it’s a good idea to keep your garage door closed when you’re not around.

Even in Buffalo Grove.

For crime prevention tips, check out BG Crime Prevention Tips

Take a moment to remember….

The annual Memorial Day observance in the village will be at 11 a.m. at Knopf Cemetery on Arlington Heights Road just north of Checker Driver. Tributes will be made by local officials and members of various AMVETS and American Legion posts. Local Boy Scout troops hand flag ceremonies.  The annual tribute is sponsored by Kingswood Methodist Church.

Mark your calendar…

The Farmers’ Market opens Sunday, June 18.

Donuts, charity and some strange calls -- the sagas continue

As I continue to go through the variety of police reports, it’s clear there are some that Officer Krupke would not understand….

Next time, try Uber. A cab picked up a passenger at the Cumberland Metra station who wanted to go to Deer Park – cab driver took her to Deerfield and Weiland roads. GPS said it was the fastest way.

Not on his resume -- A local company summoned police for “standby” as the company, according to police reports, “sacked” an employee.  Seems as though employee, or now ex-employee, had a criminal record for bomb making that he apparently neglected to note on his job application.

Talk about disturbing the peace, or should that be piece? -- Police were called to home by a resident who was complaining about a neighbor having lout sexual relations.  Police said resident accused said it was all false. They, in turn, provided police with the name and address of a neighbor who they suspected of being the culprit.  Resident said she told the “ahem: offender via text that he was having loud sex. Police talked with the neighbor who confirmed that he had a new girlfriend and they were, in fact, having “loud sex”.  He said he forgot to close the window.  Police said he was very apologetic and, well, embarrassed.

Seriously?  A resident called because a neighbor was picking pears off her tree without her permission.  Resident said there as a plastic bag in the ground with 15- 20 pears on the ground left there by the neighbor. 

With friends like this… A Buffalo Grove resident called police to report that her car was missing.  Not that this is big news, but it does make you wonder about decisions people make.  The resident told police that she saw an old friend at a casino and she invited him back for drinks.  She gave him keys to her car so he could retrieve some stuff, which sounded like a good idea.  But he never came back.  Police are still looking for the man – and the car.

No pomp, but plenty of circumstances. Police documented a situation where a resident came in to report that her college diploma from Moscow State Open Education University was missing.  Resident graduated in 1980.  Said report was needed for a duplicate.

When in Rome, don't lose your phone.    Resident reported her phone was stolen -- in Rome.  As in Italy.  Needs a police report for/insurance.  But why not in Rome?

If you run out of Ethyl, get Mable -- Police were notified by a gas station attendant after a man started to drive off --- with the gas pump still connected, driver almost hit someone while on his mobile phone.  He apologized but told police he was only adjusting the phone's settings.

Drive up anger – A resident called police after person(s) yelled obscenities at her while waiting at a drive-up line at a drug store. Complainant said the truck with the alleged offender(s) had a license plate holder that read "In God We Trust". No further comment.

Big bang theory -- Resident called police to report a found grenade in the crawl space. Police responded and quickly found that it was a novelty.  The resident did, however, play it safe by taking it outside and putting it in a concrete block.

Where’s Bert Weinman when we need him? Police were summoned to a parking lot after a man wanted to return a car he purchased the day before -- a 1981 Rolls Royce.  He was informed it was a civil matter.

Talk about self-serve -- Police were called to a local gas station due to a report of an intoxicated person who was asleep by the side of the building.  He was.  He told police he was riding his bike home, but was too drunk to continue, so he decided to take a nap.  Police took he and his bike home.  He thanked police.

To be sure he has a secret -- or maybe not.  Man called police to report that his package containing organic deodorant was missing.   UPS is investigating as well.

Next time get decaf -- Police were called to respond to a stolen car.  Caller said it was stolen from behind his office.  No one had seen it.  Caller said he had a call from a suspicious person.  Number was verified.  Case was solved, however, when man called saying he realized (and I'm not making this up) he drove to Starbucks after lunch -- and walked back to the office, leaving his car in the parking lot. 

Donuts, charity -- and some unusual calls...

Last week cops remembered those officers who died in duty and then went on the roofs of Dunkin’ Donuts to raise money for Special Olympics.

It was, needless to say, a week that ran the gamut of emotions.

Just like the calls they answer.

It’s not unusual for major crimes to get our attention, but it’s the “other calls” that make you wonder what some people are thinking.

For example, some “interesting” calls to the Buffalo Grove Police include:

*  Cougar time:   A 76 year old woman called police about changing locks to keep longtime roommate out.   He’s 54.

* There’s a pattern here – Twice in two days a man called police because his order at Wendy’s was short chicken tenders.   The second time in two days.  With police in view, the customer was given a full refund after he returned the food and was told he was not welcomed in the restaurant again.  To the relief of chickens everywhere.

*  Keep on truckin' -- A dispatcher from a local trucking company called police to report that he had not been able to reach one of his drivers. Using GPS, they located the truck on I-81 entering Tennessee from Virginia.   No problem, except the driver as supposed to be heading west to St. Louis.

Once contacted, the driver told police the firm was “messing with him” because he had asked for home time.  He had been with the company for a month.  The dispatcher wanted to document the incident because if the truck is not returned, he will seek “further legal options to have the truck returned.”  Assuming they can find it.

* “Fore” play? A resident who lives near a golf course called police after finding some “small shinny things” on the floor.  After examination, the police identified the object as a golf ball.  The shiny things were probably the result of the golf ball coming through a hole in a window in her bedroom. The resident said she occasionally sees people driving around her court (street) “in those little cars”. The officer told the resident it was probably due to a bad golf shot.

*  And they gave her a driver’s license. Police responded to a gas station after a driver drove off with the gas hose still in car. She told police she went in to buy lottery tickets and forgot.

*  Not a live case.  Burglar responded to an alarm at a funeral home. 

*  It’s a what? Police were summoned to a house where a resident, who had just moved in, reported finding a small purse in a bedroom closet that contained what he said was a fetus. Police investigated and reported finding a plastic bag that contained a smoking pipe with a coiled snake design. Police reports say the pipe was deposited in the trash.  No further action.

*  May be time for a new wallet -- An employee of a company the services portable bathrooms found a wallet while he was cleaning a unit.  He said the wallet got stuck in the suction hose.  The employee rinsed the wallet and placed it in a plastic bag before giving it to police.  Good thing.  They did find the owner based on content.  Of the wallet, of course.

*  Any thoughts? Woman came to the police station to report that her children were not wearing coats when she picked them up from her ex-husband at McDonald’s. She wanted it documented for court purposes.  Want fries with that?

*  You can trust your car to… Manager of a gas station called police to report a woman drove off without paying for $36.42 worth of gas.  Armed with the license number, police traced down the offender who said, according to police reports, that “she was trying to teach her 16-year-old daughter how to pump gasoline into their car and that an error must have occurred when she swiped the credit card at the gas pump.”  The woman went back to the station to pay. With a credit card?

* Off track? Police were summoned to the railroad tracks (Canadian northern) to a report of a man trying to gain control to the overhead train control signals. Turns out the man, a Buffalo Grove resident, exercises daily by ski-hiking.  Part of his routine is to use the train signal’s “super structure” for stretching and pull-ups.  He was advised that the Canadian National does not want him on its property.  Or its equipment.

*  Think twice – A 31-year-old Buffalo Grove man contacted police to express concern that an online interlude, which led to Skype, resulted in an apparent extortion.  Seems as though the woman with whom the man was skyping with, described as, according to police reports, “an attractive white, half-naked female” had a male friend who was observing the whole thing with interest, especially since the Buffalo Grove resident told police he “began to remove his clothing and touch himself inappropriately.  The woman’s male friend told the Buffalo Grove man that he had to pay $3,500 or the video would be posted on YouTube and sent to the man’s family.  He was told to send the money via Western Union to a name in the Ivory Coast. Police advised the man not to send the money, unfriend the woman and, oh by the way, don’t engage in inappropriate video chats with strangers.

*  That’s the way the cookie crumbles: A resident called police to report that three cookies were reported missing from her kitchen counter.  She told police there were six cookies on the week before and now, say reports, there were three. She told police she was “scared to go back in her house and would be waiting for our arrival”

There was no sign of forced entry. The woman told police that the overhead garage door was closed, but service door was unlocked.  She told police a co-worker brought her the cookies and she put the cookies on the plate in the kitchen, on the counter.

She said one by one the cookies have gone missing. The resident told police that nothing else is missing except the cooking – except sometimes peanut butter.  Police asked the resident if it’s possible she had eaten the cookies.  She told police she does not eat cookies.

She told investigators that she had taken pictures of the cookies, but did not show officers the pictures.

The resident, who lives alone, has older children and grandchildren, but they do not have a key to the house, the resident said she was going to install a video surveillance system.

The responding office said she was going to follow up with the resident “just to confirm additional assistance is not necessary.”  Read between the lines.

Remember a cop -- light it up blue

Mention the Buffalo Grove Police Department to someone and there’s a likely chance they’ll grovel, snort and make a less than complimentary remark.

            You know the kind.

            “Like, WTF, all they do is pull over speeders.”

            “They’re never around when my neighbor puts their trash bin out too early.”

            “I mean, really, the village spends so much on police cars.”

            That all changes of course when someone really needs a police officer.  Then it’s a different story.

            The cops in Buffalo Grove generally don’t deal with the issues faced by large urban police departments, but there are times when they have to handle major stuff.

            Of course, there are times when they are called upon to handle dastardly situations – like cookies missing off a kitchen counter, responding a parent’s call for help in getting a lazy kid to go to school or rescuing overly amorous couples off the roof of a strip center.

            Yes, these are all true.

            What’s also true is that the Buffalo Grove Department has a long tradition of community service projects ranging from selling dounts to help children with challenging conditions, to shipping bottled water to the residents of Flint, Michigan.

            The Department, like many police departments, supports fellow officers.

            Monday will not be an exception.

            Monday kicks off National Police Week with Tuesday designated as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.  It’s a day when police departments and communities around the country will take time to remember those officers who died in the line of duty.

            The event will be marked Monday by a brief ceremony at 7 p.m. Monday at Village Hall.  The observance will include the raising of a “Blue Line flag” according to BG’s top cop Steven Casstevens. It symbolizes support and solidarity towards law enforcement, says Casstevens.

            Following the flag raising there will be a moment of silence.

            However, the observance doesn’t end there.

            The Police Department has nearly 200 blue light bulbs available for residents and businesses who want to show their support for not only the Buffalo Grove Police Department, but fallen cops nationwide.

            Bulbs are available at the Police Department, 46 Raupp Blvd. There is a limit of two bulbs per residence or business. Additional information is available by calling (847) 459-2560.

            By the way, the bulbs are free.

            But even if they were not and people had to buy the bulbs – It would be money well spent.

Town Center's future cloudier with Binny's departure

There’s little doubt the closing and relocation of Binny’s Beverage Depot from its location in Town Center to Weiland and Lake-Cook roads in Wheeling will pull at the heart strings of pundits who foresee doom and gloom for the retail environment in Buffalo Grove.

You gotta love social media.

Binny's new store at  Lake-Cook and Weiland roads.

The reality, however, is that while Binny’s was an icon in the misguided retail edifice best known as Town Center, the relocation is not a stake in the heart of Buffalo Grove’s shopping.

Far from it.

            While Binny’s has been a mainstay, if not the mainstay, of Town Center, it does not, according to Village Hall sources, rank in the top 10 in terms of sales tax producers in the village.  State law prohibits municipalities from releasing revenues from individual businesses.

Binny's old location in Town Center

            So what is at the heart of Binny’s moving to its new location in Wheeling? A lot of speculation. It is safe to say, however, that the “blame” is not at the feet of the village.

            Two key factors came into place – the management of two strip centers.

In one corner, Schwind Crossing, managed by Quantum Real Estate Advisors, Inc. at the corner of Lake-Cook and Weiland roads and, Town Center, managed by CTK Assets.

            Staff members at the Staples, now occupied by Binny’s, indicated that their original plan was to downsize the store, but Quantum “made them an offer” they couldn’t refuse.  While it is not clear if the offer was made before Binny’s was courted or Quantum wanted the space available before approaching Binny’s, one thing is clear, there appears to have been an aggressive plan to enhance an existing strip center.

            Apparently that was not the case with an effort to keep Binny’s in Town Center. The parties involved, Binny’s and CTK have been mum about what was allegedly negotiated.  Rumors, to no surprise, ran rampant.  Allegedly Binny’s wanted “build out” (expand) at its Town Center location, but reportedly CTK resisted and did not want to accommodate a larger Binny’s.

            Efforts to contact Timothy J. Donohue, vice president at CTK by both email and phone calls have been unsuccessful.

            Donohue is CTK’s point person for Town Center and has provided information in the past. Efforts to contact him by most media have been unsuccessful. Which may be indicative of CTK’s interest in the property.

            It’s interesting to visit CTK’s website CTK Partners and find only one listing under “Available Spaces” in Buffalo Grove.  And it’s not in Town Center.

            So herein could lie the problem.  A large decaying edifice in a prime location that appears devoid of any aggressive marketing to lease a glut of retail space.

            With Binny’s gone, there is now an additional 14,173 square feet of vacant space in Town Center.  The neglect of Town Center is no secret.  It was only after communication with the village that the parking lot was repaired.

            In addition to being a retail eyesore, CTK appears to let vigilante tenants handle management responsibilities. A recent item in the Buffalo Grove Police Department reports about a parking issue at Town Center indicated that parking enforcement was being handled by a tenant whose public relations skills are on par with Attila the Hun.

            The mixture of an apparent lack of leasing efforts, combined with letting tenants make management decisions does not bode well for the retail environment at the Center, or, of course, in the village.

            It does, do say the least, put the village in a unique, if not difficult, positon.  While it is trying to enhance and improve the retail activity, there’s little that can be done with Town Center.

            Except wait.

But for what?

            Wait for the thousands of square feet of vacant space to be occupied?

            Wait for CTK and Town Center tenants to work to attract customers?

            Wait for the ownership and management of Town Center to toss in the towel and realize that the massive changes are needed?

            The waiting and lack of action do not seem to be doing anyone any good.

            And it has gone on long enough.