February 2, 2010: Stranger approaches child near Hough Street School

A Joint Message from the Barrington Police Department and the Barrington 220 School District

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, the Barrington Police learned of a suspicious vehicle near Hough Street Elementary School. The report by a parent indicated a student was approached by a person in an unfamiliar vehicle while walking to school in the morning. At that time, the student was offered a ride by one of three young males in a champagne‐colored older‐model Acura. The student declined the offer and quickly proceeded to school. The student did not report the incident when arriving at school, but did inform his parents at home in the afternoon. The parents immediately notified the police, who were able to verify the description of the vehicle and its occupants from a neighbor, who also observed the same car in the same area at the time the student was allegedly approached.

The student is commended for promptly informing his parents, who then notified the Barrington Police Department. Wednesday morning, officers in marked and unmarked patrol cars will vigilantly watch for a vehicle and persons matching this account. School crossing guards and playground supervisors will also be briefed so they can be more observant.
These incidents are a reminder to advise children of the precautions they should take while away from home, particularly when walking to and from school. Students are encouraged to travel in groups or to wait at the bus stop with their parents and friends. If approached by a stranger, the best response is to call 911 immediately, to take a photo of the vehicle or person with a cell phone camera, or to obtain a license plate number if the individual is driving an automobile.

Working in cooperation with local law enforcement, our schools urge residents to report any suspicious activities related to this or other encounters. The Barrington area takes great pride in maintaining a wholesome, secure environment for our children. Thank you for your awareness as we join forces to protect and assure the safety of students in our communities.

Please direct any questions or information regarding this alert to the Barrington Police Department at (847) 304‐3300.

Parking Lot Robber in Lake County: January 14th

This in from the Daily Herald:
Police are searching for a ski-masked bandit who has stolen purses from three women at busy Lake County shopping centers within the past week.

Police say they believe the same man held up women in Lincolnshire on Jan. 7, Deer Park on Jan. 8 and Wauconda on Jan. 10.

But, they have few clues to the identity of the purse snatcher.

In the Wauconda robbery on Sunday, the robber - described as a white male wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a ski mask - grabbed a purse from a 34-year-old woman while she was loading groceries into her trunk at Liberty Square Mall on Liberty Street at about 7:50 p.m., said Cmdr. John Thibault of the Wauconda Police Department. The offender grabbed the purse and took off running before jumping into a dark-colored SUV and driving away.

"Usually offenders in purse snatchings wait for someone to leave a purse in a shopping cart and walk away for a second then take it," Thibault said. "But, in this rash of purse snatchings, the offender has no issue physically confronting the person. That is one of the many similarities between our snatching Sunday and other purse thefts in the area."

On Jan. 8, Kildeer police Det. Paul Seekings said, the offender approached a 67-year-old woman about 7:30 p.m. in Deer Park Town Center and stole her purse.

Some of the contents of the purse were recovered in Mundelein, Seeking said. They were dusted for fingerprints, but police came up with nothing to identity the thief.

The first snatching was reported Jan. 7, at Lincolnshire Commons in the 900 block of Milwaukee Avenue in Lincolnshire.

A suspect matching the same description approached a woman in her 60s as she exited her vehicle. The man demanded her purse, Seeking said. However, in this case, Seekings said, the man showed a handgun when robbing the woman.

The victim tried to fight back, but the robber pushed her to the ground before taking off with the purse.

"He seems to be hitting larger shopping centers and picking targets of opportunity," Seekings said. "We just want to caution people to be on the lookout. If you feel something is wrong, then head back inside the store or in your car and call police."

He added people should take notice of their surroundings and, if something doesn't feel right, call for help.

"We do not mind going on calls for suspicious persons," he said.

Anyone with information about these robberies should contact Seekings at (847) 438-6010, Thibault at (847) 526-2421, or their local police department.

See the story in the Daily Herald

Church Safety Alert: Be safe this Holiday.

Please do not leave items of value in your cars in the Church parking lot! This includes purses, music players, laptops and shopping bags. At this time of year parked cars are magnets for smash-and-grab burglaries. Our Church service times are well publicized and activity in the parking lots can be tracked to these times. Atonement did have a smash and grab occur recently. The Police Departments have recommended that cars be locked with no items visible. Please put items in the trunk or covered space.
--Barrington Area Safety Council 12/4/09

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