Skokie police investigate 27 car burglaries in two weeks

Drivers in Skokie are being urged to take their keys with them and remove valuables from vehicles after a recent surge in break-ins. The Skokie Police Department has identified a distinct pattern in the recent crimes, noting that a broken driver's side window was the entry point for the vast majority of affected vehicles.

Sgt. Brandi Shelton of the Skokie Police Department confirmed in an email that officers are investigating 15 car burglaries that occurred during overnight hours between Oct. 17 and Oct. 21. Seven of those specific incidents took place in the 8500 and 8600 blocks of Kedvale Avenue alone. Patrol officers were aware of the reported incidents and are actively working the cases.

The wave of break-ins did not stop with the initial cluster in mid-October. Police reports indicate that 12 additional cars were burglarized between Oct. 23 and Oct. 28. This extends the period of elevated activity and increases the total number of reported vehicle break-ins to 27 for that two-week span.

Specific locations for the later incidents include multiple addresses across the village. On Oct. 25, one car was burglarized in the 8700 block of Leclaire Avenue, while another was hit in the 5000 block of Greenleaf Street. That same day, police recovered a stolen vehicle in the 9200 block of Skokie Boulevard. Between Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, two cars were burglarized in the 8400 block of Laramie Avenue and another in the 5000 block of Crain Street.

Further incidents were logged on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28. A car was burglarized in the 8100 block of Kenton Avenue on the 27th. On the 28th, reports were filed for two cars burglarized between Oct. 26 and Oct. 28 in the 3300 block of Capitol Street. Another vehicle in the 8900 block of Kilpatrick Avenue was burglarized sometime between Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, while a car in the 5300 block of Davis Street was hit between Oct. 24 and Oct. 25.

In nearby communities, police recorded a cluster of vehicle break-ins in Winnetka on Oct. 26. Items were taken from at least one car in the 400 block of Ash Street. Additional break-ins were reported in the 400 block of Hawthorn Lane, the 400 block of Willow Road, and the 200 block of Essex Road.

Wilmette police also processed several reports during the same timeframe. On Oct. 29, an individual was arrested for allegedly robbing a business in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard on Oct. 22. In the 400 block of Linden Avenue, several items were stolen from a business overnight around the same time. Prior to that, on Oct. 26, items were reported stolen from two unlocked cars in the 2000 block of Greenwood Avenue.

Other minor incidents in the area include the theft of approximately $280 in merchandise from a Target store in Highland Park on Nov. 1. An unlocked e-bike was stolen from outside the Central Avenue Metra station on Oct. 28. In Northfield, Kenilworth, and Glencoe, no incidents met the publication standards for the reporting periods provided.