The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Automobile burglaries increase on North Shore

It would only take a matter of seconds to break a car’s window and steal a purse, Detective Matthew Szymanski said.

Detective Patrick Sheehan said there has been a rise in this type of car burglary. This year, there have been approximately 34 car burglaries of this method in Glenview.

“[The burglars] are targeting areas where women would be likely to leave their purse in the car,” Mike O’Malley, detective commander of the Northbrook police, said.

On Oct. 11 and 12 at Flick Park in Glenview there were a series of burglaries according to Sheehan.

The burglaries have taken place at a range of recreational areas.

“They [the car burglaries] happened at the ice arena on Landwehr, the tennis courts at Gallery Park and the Park Center,” Sheehan said.

These are not the only types of places that the burglars are targeting as Glenbrook South has also had break-ins.

Car burglaries have been occurring in Northbrook as well, in areas such as the YMCA and Wood Oaks Park.

The burglaries take place in the morning, the early evening or during the day. This is what makes the burglars so difficult to catch, O’Malley said.

“We’re advising people not to leave their purses in the cars even if [they] think it’s out of sight,” O’Malley said.

Since this is not always the case, there is increased patrol in the parks by officers and detectives according to Sheehan.

Despite this protection,  Szymanski gave students the following advice: “Leave your car locked and make sure you don’t have any items of value in your car,” he said.