Crime: July 2008 Archives

Summer might seem innocent, but the warm weather can make it more tempting for would-be thieves to flip door handles for an easy stash. In May, June and July this year, about 200 vehicles have been burglarized here, according to the Police Department. Of those, 78 percent didn't use force. That means burglars are checking cars to see if they're locked - if not, they lift cds, GPSs, sunglasses, cell phones and any other valuables they can get easily. More than 80 percent of these happen between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. - when you're eating dinner, watching TV, reading and sleeping. You're probably home when it happens.

Two young men have been arrested and a third suspect has charges pending. Police have increased patrols in "hot spots" where these crimes seem to clutter. Police also ask residents to do a simple preventative measure: lock your car doors. Seems pretty simple, but the low crime rate in Naperville seems to lull some into thinking "doesn't happen here."

If this crime has happened to you, what advice do you have for others? What are your horror stories? What else can police do to prevent these crimes? What can you do?

A couple of slick con artists scammed a Naperville couple out of $3,200 last week. George, 87, and Betty, 84, told their story to The Sun so that others might learn from their mistake.

The cons convinced the couple that their grandson was in a Canadian jail and needed bail money wired to him.

One wonders, after reading George and Betty's story in Tuesday's Sun, how the con artists knew to target older couples in affluent communities like Naperville and Western Springs. Do they look at Census data and randomly call people until a vulnerable-sounding older person answers? Or do they buy information, including names and phone numbers, from companies that collect such data?

How do these guys know who to target? How many calls do they have to make before they successfully pull a scam?

Have you ever fallen for a scam, via e-mail, phone or other means? Tell us about it.

It's called Article 36, and it allows authorities to seize vehicles in 48 different instances in which offenders commit a crime, including driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license or transporting more than 10 cartons of cigarettes. (We are not making this up.)

As Wednesday's Sun reports, they've had tremendous success lately taking vehicles away from criminals in DuPage County. What about the Constitution? Isn't there something in the Fourth Amendment about unlawful search and seizure? OK, maybe this doesn't violate the letter of the law, but it certainly tests the spirit. Does the punishment fit the crime, in your opinion, when authorities can seize vehicles like this?

One word about this thread: Let's keep the discussion focused on the legislative aspect of this question, and not enforcement. We've had plenty of threads lately about police. Let's talk about the lawmakers who created this legislation, and the courts that have upheld it.