Elmhurst Residents Discover Burglary, Attempted Burglaries

Jim Court September 1, 2011 at 02:11 am

There is a pattern of ever increasing burglary and vandalism that needs to be focused on. Seatbelt tickets and stop sign tickets do nothing to maintain the perception of safety and consequently, the status and property values of the community. Maybe our police should refocus some of their efforts. I realize that tickets create revenue but ultimately the perception of a safe community is more important. These are very difficult economic times and crimes of these sorts are expected to grow. Maybe we need a civilian volunteer of a larger magnitude than may exist. Mess with Elmhurst ....and expect the worst. I like the sound of it.

Justin Hunt September 1, 2011 at 03:37 am

Sign me up. Just two days ago I was talking to an elderly neighbor who has lived in their house for over 50 years. She told me in the last week they have a window broken, a feeder box torn off and a new tree uprooted. I was aghast.

Anonymous September 1, 2011 at 04:15 am

I think the best thing to do is for people to be aware of what is going on around their house and their neighbors. Call the police if you notice suspicious persons, walking or parked in your area. If you see people unloading items from someones house and they do not appear to be familiar, do not hesitate or wait to call 911. If you hear the sound of glass breaking or a door getting busted in, call 911. Don't wait until after the fact, and blame the police for not being there. The police will do their jobs but we as citizens also have to do ours.

Karen Chadra (Editor) September 1, 2011 at 10:18 am

Comment deleted for violating our terms of use.

Jim Court September 1, 2011 at 11:25 am

Have the police established whether or not these crimes are be committed by local residents (I hope not) or by those from outside the community?

Jim Court September 1, 2011 at 11:48 am

DuPage Crimestoppers has an anonymous mobile app as well as a phone number
1-800-222-tips, as well as a website called dupagecrimestoppers.com. Page seven of todays Triblocal has an article that discusses this.

Stewart Levine September 1, 2011 at 03:16 pm

my comment was totally appropriate

Stewart Levine September 1, 2011 at 03:16 pm

thanks karen for trampling on my freedom of speech

Stewart Levine September 1, 2011 at 03:24 pm

let me re-phrase it for karen's sensitive eyes,
i would like to see some vigilante justice, and a citizen packing some serious firepower, just take the perpetrator(s) out point blank when they illegally bust into their home. that would definitely send a message. 2nd amendment right to bear arms, and defend your family and personal property. america's original homeland security. buy your shotgun or pistol today.

Ken September 2, 2011 at 03:12 pm

I've never owned a gun or felt compelled to do so till recently. Every town around here (including Chicago) is cutting their police forces. The criminal elements know this and are more brazen then ever. Plus you have scores of homes that now have turned into rentals with questionable characters inhabiting them.

Jim Court September 2, 2011 at 10:46 pm

I suggest that the Police help landlords by helping conduct criminal background checks for a reasonable fee. It would take the burden off of landlords for rejection since it would not be the landlords fault and could improve the quality the people in the community.

Darlene Heslop September 3, 2011 at 02:55 pm

you can subscribe online to services that will do just that - and more. how do you think single people in this world survive going out on a date? or better yet, know who to avoid?

Jim Court September 3, 2011 at 03:05 pm

That does not take away the burden to the landlord as people will direct their anger at the landlord. By allowing the police to make the decision it diverts responsibility for decision making, which is a good thing. If anyone has been a landlord they would understand. It would also allow the police to know who is residing in the community.This is not about minor infractions as a limitation to renting but more for major crimes.

Darlene Heslop September 3, 2011 at 03:33 pm

maybe we need to make sure every resident in elmhurst has been thoroughly checked out by the police prior to signing on the dotted line, be it a mortgage or a lease. this way, the burden of making certain that only the "right kind" of people live in elmhurst will be totally in the hands of the police department. when neighbors have some kind of conflicts over the barking dog, or the kids running over the lawn, rather than settle their differences with the idea of getting along (hey, can you try to keep your dog quiet, i'd greatly appreciate it, or kids, i'd really like it if you didn't run across the new sod that was just put in) people can call on the elmhurst police department to settle any and all desputes, including writing citations for such things as your dog barking, your grass being too high, or your neighbor not liking the color you painted the place. you complain a lot about being a landlord, and now you don't want the tenants to be mad at you and take the blame, only the police, so maybe it's time that you looked at doing something different. part of being a landlord is accepting all of the responsibility that goes along with it, including doing your own "due diligence" when it comes to who you rent to. this is merely my opinion, based upon the miriad of postings you have put up on this site in which you do nothing but complain about the tenants you seem to have the ability, on your own, to decide to rent to, and if the choices were bad, it's your problem.

Jim Court September 3, 2011 at 04:11 pm

I thought we had a cordial relationship but when things don't agree with your opinion you tell them to cease and desist. You obviously do not understand landlording and the burden that is placed upon the landlord. The myriad of postings are only related to a small percentage of the people I have rented to. Yet, this small percentage can wreck havoc and the landlord receives no support from the city, only the burden.
When renters are criminally damaging property the police refuse to intervene and tell you it is a civil matter. Then code enforcement can come along and say the property that the police allowed to be damaged is not in good shape and issue tickets. They can have their cake and eat it too. They shift their responsibility to uphold the law and dump the burden on the landlord. The same with the nuisance law. Someone has morphed into an angry person who wants to attack others but very thin-skinned when someone disagrees with them. Are these not symptoms of a bully and a narcissist ? I have no argument but what has gone wrong? Why do you take such an extreme view and marginalize a valid concept by trivializing the idea with off the wall examples.

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 01:37 am

i think you are the thin skinned one. i don't disagree that there are plenty of people that live in this world that don't have respect for anyone or anything...that's why they deface property, steal, vandalize, etc., however, and i quote you here, "By allowing the police to make the decision it diverts responsibility for decision making, which is a good thing. ... . it would also allow the police to know who is residing in the community.". these are your words, not mine. my understanding of "diverting responsibility for decision making" is "let them (the police) have the blame and not me.". and if you are in support of having the police "know who is residing in the community" (your words, not mine), why stop at those who rent? it would be hypocritical to stop there, as well as descriminatory, so it seems to reason that you would be in favor of making certain that not only would you rent to the "right people" but that the realtors in this town would sell homes to only the "right people". i'm not a bully, nor a narcissist, i am a realist, who is prone to sarcasm when the opportunity arises (see my commentary, there is plenty of it in there). i don't like hypocrites - never have, never will. you constantly complain about the pitfalls of being a landlord, everything from who you rent to (which you have control of, btw) to problems with the city and police. not once have i heard you say anything positive about it - so why do it?

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 01:38 am

i forgot to leave the following regarding the above: warning - sarcasm alert.

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 02:48 am

the landlord thing works both ways. i once rented from someone that failed to pay the water and the gas bills so i was left without water and heat for 5 days in the middle of february (and could do little about the situation except shower at work and stay under the electric blanket). i had a landlord who came in and began "renovating", telling me it would "only be a little bit of dust"...i ended up having to take everything off of the walls, put my furniture and belongings under plastic, and take myself and my cat (in the time frame of about 3 hours) to my parent's home - i ended up staying in their spare bedroom for 6 weeks. there was little else i could do in that situation, either, but, that's life. it certainly didn't sour me on renting - you do what you have to do and deal with it. i realize that it irks you that i had to ask you earlier to stop the attacking commentary because you not only were making completely false statements about me, but others, and your comments had gotten progressively more aggressive and inappropriate to the discussion at hand, which others agreed - that's it. this isn't about disagreeing with someone's point of view, but is instead, about the difficulty you personally have with accepting that your many comments and arguments manage to be able to be discounted by others as well as myself.

Jim Court September 4, 2011 at 02:56 am

Imagine,
You rent to someone. They invite someone in without your knowledge. You show up and discover people you did not rent to. You ask them to leave. They refuse. You call the Police. The Police arrive and inform you that they will have to be evicted via civil process as they have established residency by the mere act of placing possessions within the property. Realizing that the civil process is a long drawn out process and will cost you a fortune, you try to create some dialogue with these people. They agree to pay rent. For several weeks they do and then stop. You now file for possession and eviction. Realizing that you now mean business they get mad and start to destroy your property. You again are forced to call the police ( I pay multiple property taxes for some benefit) the police arrive and rather than arrest them for criminal damage to property you are told again that it is a civil matter and they will do nothing. The Police then report the damage to code enforcement. After you finally evict them with the sheriff you receive a letter with a fine for a property in disrepair. The Police did nothing, nor did code enforcement when you asked them to intervene. Do you consider this good work by city departments? I don't. I have praised the Police many times when deserved and pointed out issues when need be. I am not running for office so I do not play to the crowd. I say what I believe without concern for retribution or resentment or benefit.. That is independence.

Jim Court September 4, 2011 at 03:10 am

I agree that I have a few detractors. Who doesn't when they offer an opinion. I do not seek lowest common denominator consensus. Many also agree with me. I write out of an overly active brain, a love of community, and both concern and appreciation for issues related to our community. I am not positioning myself nor do I seek favor from those in the power structure. I offer many constructive ideas to improve the community and the quality of services and improved processes. I do not like waste or inefficiency, believe that everything can be improved, including myself, I never pretend to know it all. I try to remain open minded, optimistic,and generally, positive. I have never been accused of being an angry person and soom of the problems with landlording is a result of some moments of misplaced compassion.
I help the working poor, those with disabilities, and get fooled by charming sociopaths one in awhile. Maybe I am more trusting than I should be but I refuse to become a hate filled and mistrusting cynic, although I would make less mistakes and get hurt less often. Life is good.......................

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 01:47 pm

why is it that you constantly think that what i write here is for political reasons and nothing else? seriously, why? the last thing on my mind when it write something here is running for office, or "playing to the crowd", and, if you will take time to notice, anyone that is running or has run in the past for city council makes no commentary at all here on this website - THAT is independence.

Jim Court September 4, 2011 at 01:59 pm

I noticed that you do not respond to my outline about the problems I had with the city, even though you chastised me on this. Your only concern was about yourself. What relationship is relevant concerning who comments on these pages or not? What does that have to do with "Independence" ?
Some people have a need for enemies. I do not. It is not how I define myself or give meaning to my life. Am I the latest enemy? Seems so.

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 02:20 pm

my phone rang, it was a family member that i needed to talk with, that's why i didn't finish my response to you regarding "your problem" with the city, is that o.k. with you? (talk about a narcissist, now my responses all have to be about you and your problems). i consider renting to be just like a business deal - that's why there are leases that are signed, which are legally binding documents to which, if the terms of the lease are not held up by either party, in particular, the renter, then there are consequences as outlined in the lease, including but not limited to, immediate eviction for violation of certain terms as outlined in the lease agreement ("legally binding contract"). i don't know what kind of "legally binding contract" you had in this particular business deal, but my only point here is this - you are in business, the business of owning rental property, and with that business comes certain risks, and sometimes, like in any business, you end up with the short end of the deal. as for the response of the city, maybe that's just the same outlook that they had regarding the situation - it was a business arrangement that went bad and it was not their juristiction - weather it was or wasn't, isn't the point - that would be for a lawyer to sort through when you decided to bring a suit against the city and the "person or persons" who broke the original "business contract". and what's this nonsense about defining myself by making enemies? not my style by a longshot.

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 02:36 pm

you have a serious ax to grind against the city regarding a business deal that went bad - i have no idea what your lease agreements are like, what kind of clauses are in them, but mine has some very specific things regarding who can live here and for how long, what i can and can't do to my place, etc., etc. and i abide by the rules since i made a business deal in good faith and intend to keep it that way. while i understand that you initially made a deal in good faith, you and the other party attempted to "renegotiate" in the middle of the contract - was it ever put in writing and therefore made legally binding? have you ever thought of the "worse case scenario" first, then worked from there when crafting your leases? it takes 2 parties to form a contract and therefore a business deal. while i'm sympathetic to your having sustained a business loss, and also for the lack of knowledge and co-operation on the part of the city, you assumed some of the risk in this deal in the first place as well as you do have the option of bringing suit against the city if you really do feel that this incident was handled so poorly that it impacted you to the point that it appearantly has.

Jim Court September 4, 2011 at 04:00 pm

I have had some problems with the city. They interpret laws very loosely, apply them inappropriately, and because they are protected via lawyers that our taxes pay for, the burden is shifted to others. Once you are on the radar, for whatever reason, whether is be writing in these pages, or dealings with renters and associated problems that all landlords deal with. I am sure not alone. It was you who ran for Alderman with a host of complaints about issues and personalities. Suddenly you have seemed to shift into an apologist for the status quo. I also praise positive actions and qualities by the city and its leadership. I am not happy with the way our code enforcement operates. It is overly reactive and seldom proactive. It interprets rules as it see's fit. It is inconsistent. I challenge the new city manager to examine to the process and methods of this department. I believe in the concept of code enforcement. It must be a proactive and fair process and the rules must apply to all. They can not be selectively enforced. Complainers are overly empowered as bureaucrats over react in order to alleviate their anxieties and desire to CYA. Code enforcement needs to get out of city hall, look around and then fix glaring problems first. They need to work constructively to achieve results and realize that people may have limited time or money and that the world does not revolve around the immediate wants of code enforcement. Everything is a process.

Darlene Heslop September 4, 2011 at 07:49 pm

an "apologist for the status quo"? you are so far off, it's actually getting funny. if i was, then i would be defending everything and anything that the city has done to nth degree which is quite the contrary. 2nd, i certainly wouldn't encourage you to look at whatever legal means you have available, including bringing suit against the city, as one resident recently did over the flooding. if there are other landlords out there that feel the same way you do, as you claim, then class action suits are always an option. you want everything that i do and or state here to be somehow tied politically when the reality is that is the last thing that is motivating me. i say what i mean and mean what i say...i call a spade a spade, not a diamond in the rough...i don't like hypocrites...i believe that facts support opinions, not the other way around, and this motivates me most of all - i want people to know the facts so that they can form opinions and take action - and it doesn't matter if i agree with them or not...i believe in boundaries...we all have them...and they should be respected and not questioned...if someone feels that the commentary has crossed a line and has asked not to continue to be addressed...then all should cease...period...and not continually be brought up as somehow being "wrong". constantly complaining about the same thing over and over does nothing to solve the problem, only makes one part of it.

Jim Court September 4, 2011 at 11:46 pm

Lawsuits are expensive, time consuming, and negative. By mentioning it publicly my hope is that methods will be looked into and resolved. I am not so sure that this column reaches more than a small group of regulars anyway. I have no axe to grind with you and do not want to continue any more disagreements. Peace.