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McHenry County, Ill., adds LeadsOnline as major crimes solving tool

McHenry County thefts remain steady despite down economy

By Sarah Sutschek

November 23, 2011

First, Marita Buss noticed that her watch wasn't on her kitchen counter where she usually left it.

Thinking it might have been misplaced or fallen off, she looked in the places she had been, but it was nowhere to be found.

After it failed to turn up, she decided to take a gold bracelet and sell it to buy a new watch.

But it, too, was gone.

"Then I realized someone had stolen my jewelry," said Buss, of McHenry. "If I hadn't lost the watch, I still might not know it because they were heavy gold, and I hardly ever wore them."

The missing items included charm bracelets, a gold ring, some bangle bracelets, and a pair of antique earrings from the 1890s – all 14- or 18-carat gold, she said.

Although many speculate that thefts increase during a recession as people turn to crime to make ends meet, court records show that the number of theft charges in McHenry County has remained relatively steady.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the recession officially started in December 2007. That year, there were 1,028 theft charges, according to the McHenry County Circuit Clerk's Office, which rose about 16.6 percent in 2008 to 1,199. The charges include identity theft, retail theft, theft by deception, and theft both over and under $300.

There were fewer theft charges during the next two years, however, and 2011 is on target to end lower, as well.

"As far as theft goes, it was relatively stable," said Deputy Chief Gene Lowery of the Crystal Lake Police Department. "There's not a dramatic increase."

In Crystal Lake, there were 235 charges of theft under $300 in 2009, and 249 in 2010.

Copper theft is a crime that often increases during a recession.

"To literally cut out the water lines to take copper presumably to salvage for the money, that's pretty extreme," Lowery said. "It's another thing to go to the ComEd station, see a big roll of copper and throw it on the truck."

Deputy Chief John Birk of the McHenry Police Department said the copper thefts in his town have decreased dramatically.

"Development has come to a standstill, and a lot of copper thefts would be from construction sites," he said.

In 2009, the McHenry Police Department had 448 reported thefts. That number, which includes standard theft and retail theft, but not identity theft, increased to 501 in 2010. There were 427 reported this year through last week.

As "cash for gold" stores pop up, some question whether they can be a target for thieves, as the price of gold has been trading near $1,700 an ounce.

Buss' jewelry ended up at one of those stores.

When she contacted police, they were able to bring up a picture of her jewelry almost immediately and identify who brought it in. Charges were filed.

Unfortunately, because it took some time for her to notice that the jewelry was gone, it already had been shipped out and likely melted down.

"For a while, I was a little paranoid," Buss said. "It made me feel bad to have people rifling through my things. When I thought of them melting down my charms, ... there's no way I can replace it."

Under state law, secondhand stores have to log and keep records of the items they take in. Some municipalities, however, now are requiring them to use specific programs.

McHenry's city council passed the requirement this month regarding Leads Online, which is a nationwide database that allows detectives to search for suspects and stolen property across secondhand stores, scrap metal dealers, cash-for-gold businesses, and pawnshops.

Jordan Sadoff of Midwest Gold Buyers, which is transitioning from "Cash for Gold" to "GoldMax," said that the stores take precautions to prevent stolen goods from coming through the door.

For example, there are surveillance cameras in every store and signs on the doors notifying everyone who comes through the door. They also pay with checks, not cash.

Sadoff said one misconception about the industry is that the customer base is people who need the money to pay the bills.

"We're not just attracting people that are there to pay the rent, but the higher-class people that don't necessarily need the money," he said. "They want to take the money and buy a nice vacation or a new entertainment system."

There are things people can do to help protect themselves from becoming the victims of a theft.

"If you put more obstacles in front of the thief or burglar, they will be less likely to victimize you," Lowery said.

There are fewer car burglaries, for example, where the offender actually breaks into the car versus going through a door that was left unlocked. Leaving the newspaper out or having a poorly lighted house may signal an invitation for a thief.

Lowery also warned against any services solicited by phone, the Internet, or the mail that seems too good to be true.

"People should not look for the fast, quick solution or pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," Lowery said. "It just doesn't happen. It might be equivalent to when lightning strikes."

Theft charges in McHenry County

2002: 1,104
2003: 903
2004: 1,040
2005: 923
2006: 1,197
2007: 1,028
2008: 1,199
2009: 1,169
2010: 980
2011*: 931
* through Nov. 14

Source: McHenry County Circuit Clerk's Office

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