Subject: Re: Vanguard Lofts - Forced Entry & Burglary
From: Jenny Lee (jencitylee@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri Dec 23 2005 - 14:59:21 CST
Hey everyone,
I am catching up on the emails from th past couple days and I can fill in
some gaps of info. I'm the owner of the unit that got burglarized yesterday.
First off, the robbers still made off with my TV, DVD player, PS2, VCR,
almost all my DVDs, iPaq, cell phone, camara, some jewelry, almost all the
Christmas gifts I had wrapped & left on my table, and so on...so I would not
say that they left a lot of stuff! However, I am so glad for the the two
neighbors in 703 who spotted the robbers on the 1st floor and made the
calls, bc there were a couple bags of things they ended up leaving behind!
The robbers were two African American men & they did get them on tape. The
locksmith who came to look at my door said that it did not take much to
break my deadbolt, probably less than a minute. I have a notch on the side
of my door that looks like it was made with a screwdriver, but I'm not 100%
sure if that is all they used. He said I had a lightweight deadbolt and that
it made sense that the robbers worked as a team of 2. I don't quite remember
the technical details he gave me, but he said that one person is needed to
hold the doorknob and the other applies pressure to the bolt. Together, it
makes for an easy break-in. My deadbolt was busted & on the floor when I
walked into the doorway. Also, I had a small slit between the metal
doorframe and the wooden door that made it easier to break the bolt. (I did
not have a second lock (like a doorhandle/door knob lock). I don't mean to
scare anyone, but I notice now that some of my neighbors have the same
standard/lightweight lock that I had and that their door does not lay flush
against their doorframes like mine was. Also, the locksmith I used said he
noticed that some of the door locks were loose on some of the units on my
floor as he was walking down my hallway. I recommend that you all consider
upgrading your deadbolts to a heavier weight and adding a 2nd lock to the
doorknob. I remember Jim Thomas advising us in the past to do this and I
wish I had followed up on that! Thank you Barbara, for passing on the
security company's contact info! I plan to sign up asap.
Take care, everyone, Have a wonderful holiday!
Thank you Christian for all of that detail. The good news is that they were
spotted and the police were called and that they left a lot of the stuff
they stole.
The bad news is that it took the police 45 minutes to get to the building.
I am surprised at this. Last year, we screwed up punching in the code to
our alarm system one night and didn't remember the code needed when the
security people called us. The police were out within 10 or 15 minutes of
the that call. We were very happy about that.
By the way, did the victims today, or any from the past, have their alarm
systems activated? If they did, then I'm really going to worry. Every unit
in the building is equipped with an alarm touch pad, but you have to sign up
with the company and pay the yearly fee to set it up.
Barbara Thomas 501
----- Original Message -----
From: <christian.a.lattimer@jpmchase.com>
To: <vanguard-talk@venus.soci.niu.edu>
Cc: <vanguard-talk@venus.soci.niu.edu>;
<vanguard-talk-bounce@venus.soci.niu.edu>
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 3:41 PM
Subject: Vanguard Lofts - Forced Entry & Burglary
> There was a break-in and burglary today around 11:30am. Two individuals
> entered the front of the building via the Throop Street entrance. Forced
> entry was used to gain access to the vestibule. A pry bar was inserted
> between the door security plate and the door frame. Once enough pressure
> was applied the lock broke giving the perpetrators access to the
> vestibule.
>
> The perpetrators then gained access to 1st floor hallway by using a
device
> to pop open the lock. Most likely it was a hacksaw blade or some small
> metallic strip was placed between the door and the frame to open the
lock.
>
> Unit 708 was the victim of the crime. The burglars used a pry bar placed
> between the door frame and the wooden door to gain access to the unit.
The
> door frame bent and the lock broke under the extreme pressure from the
pry
> bar. Please note, this unit had a deadbolt and it did not stop them from
> gaining access.
>
> Residence of the 7th floor spotted the burglars on the 1st floor carrying
> a TV down the hallway towards the front door of the building. A pile of
> stolen goods was seen next to the elevator and stairwell on the 7th
floor.
> The residence of the 7th floor then called the police to report the crime
> was in progress.
>
> Five squad cars were dispatched to the building. It took the police
> approximately 45 minutes to arrive at the building after the call was
> placed. The police investigated the unit and swept the building looking
> for the perpetrators and other damage. Some items were recovered, but
the
> burglars did manage to get away with a television and cd player.
>
> First Properties was notified about the incident around 1:00pm. They are
> going to send someone out to fix the broken door on the front of the
> building. Julio was also dispatched to the property to aid the officers
> with access to the security tapes. The police have been notified of the
> security tapes and they are in the process of being handed over to the
> evidence investigation office that is handling this case.
>
> It is my hopes that First Properties will notify all residence of this
> burglary ASAP. Many residence are not on this discussion group and are
> not aware of the crime. I will ask Loretta to send out information to
all
> residence.
>
> In talking to the officers and other residence of the building, people
> should know that another break-in was attempted sometime within the last
> month. Someone tried to force entry into a unit while someone was home.
> Crime does seem to peak around the holiday season, so please be on the
> lookout.
>
> - Chris
>
>
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