Highland Park Sees Spike in Home Burglaries

There has been a recent spike in home burglaries along the North Shore, according to the Highland Park Police Department.

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Highland Park has seen five burglaries in the past four weeks, according to Depity Police Chief Dave Schwarz, who called the increase "concerning." There's a chance the burglaries are being committed by the same people.

"When you start seeing clusters it indicates it might be one crew," Schwarz said.

All of the burglaries have begun with break-ins to the backs of people's houses, Schwarz said. The times that they have taken place, however, have been scattered. Two occurred after dark, but one occurred between 8 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

"Several area departments working together to see if we can come up with likenesses and leads," Schwarz said.

Calling burglaries a crime of opportunity, Schwarz encourages residents to make their homes more difficult to enter to reduce the risk of being targeted. Use deadbolt locks on doors, which should be solid oak or wood. Light up dark areas around doors and windows. Leave lights on when on trips. Use a wooden rod to keep sliding doors locked.

You can also put up a "Beware of Dog" sign, even if you don't have an intimidating dog.

"The last thing anyone wants to confront is a dog," Schwarz said.

The police rely on residents to let them know if they see anything suspicious, Schwarz explained. Residents are encouraged to call the police if they see an unfamiliar car stopped in front of a house for a long period of time, or if it is slowly driving around. 

The most helpful information you can provide is the license plate number.

"The license plate info is often the one thing people forget to get," Schwarz said. "That's certainly a big lead for us."

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