By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
“The safety of our residents is our greatest concern,” Mayor Levin said at the City Council meeting held on Monday, Sept. 20.
Levin said most crimes are actually down from previous years, but he noted a rise in vehicle robberies and car-jacking.
“Those types of crimes typically take place in cities in which people tend to drive high-end vehicles,” he said. “[The suspects] arrive in vehicles that are already stolen, they go to neighborhoods with high end vehicles, get a new one, leave the first stolen vehicle behind. Then those stolen vehicles can be used to commit crimes such as drive-by shootings.
“There was a recent incident in Hinsdale and there are many people in Hinsdale who drive high-end vehicles. That’s what criminals look for.”
How is Elmhurst doing as a community?
“Of course, we cannot comment on any of the incidents that are currently under investigation,” Levin said, “but we are fortunate to have technology that helps identify potential criminals. For instance, we have technology that tells us when a vehicle registered as stolen enters our City. Many times, police will follow them and stop them.”
He added that those incidents sometimes result in a high-speed chase. He said the number of police pursuits has risen over the past few years: there were 15 in 2017, 20 in 2018, 10 in 2019, then a jump to 51 in 2020, and thus far in 2021, police are already at 63.
The other thing Levin mentioned is that since the beginning of the pandemic, police departments and law enforcement agencies throughout the area have been working together to coordinate efforts and share information.
“It’s a great way to exchange ideas,” Levin said.
Mayor Levin urged residents to register for “Code Red.”
“If you want to receive a text or email – plug in Code Red to get top news on prime issues,” he said. “You can sign up at the City’s web site.”
