Unfortunately, this means small business owners are often left with considerable losses due to burglaries.
Tamer Jaradat from Western Food & Grocery says it can take police officers 10 to 20 minutes to make it to the store if employees call about a theft. The employees sometimes have to decide whether to act independently to stop the crime or allow the business to take a loss.
The long police response times occur when crime in the city is increasing. If burglaries continue at the same pace they are now, they will reach 2,253 by the end of the year. That’s an increase of 6% in burglaries from 2022.
May 08, 2023
Recently, a string of burglaries in Humboldt Park and Wicker Park has led the police department to issue a community alert that isn’t sitting well with small business owners. In the alert, business owners were told to purchase ArmorPlast by Riot Glass to help protect businesses.
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The product is a shatterproof shield. Business owners have to put it on top of the existing glass to help prevent the glass from being broken by bricks, rocks, crowbars, and other objects. The CPD notes that the recent burglaries are similar because thieves break into businesses’ front or side windows to enter buildings. They then steal money or goods from the company.
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While the suggestion of installing ArmorPlast is a good idea, it could be costly for businesses, especially those that have already been dealing with losses from burglaries. Improved response time by the CPD when alerted to a burglary or other crime can also help to stop these incidents and may be a good deterrent from future crimes.
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