Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police: off‑duty patrols logged dozens of stops; investigators probing smash‑and‑grab restaurant burglaries
Summary
Lieutenant Ari Elen told the council off‑duty patrols have made 47 stops and handled 23 off‑duty incidents since Jan. 1; police reported a string of smash‑and‑grab commercial burglaries (including Miwa restaurant) under active investigation.
Lieutenant Ari Elen, who supervises the village’s off‑duty police effort, told the council that off‑duty officers conducted high‑visibility intersection patrols and documented 47 vehicle stops and 23 separate incidents handled by off‑duty officers since Jan. 1.
Elen said the majority of incidents were parking‑related and that three motorists were cited for passing stopped school buses; those license‑plate camera detections will result in mailed citations as part of the established enforcement process. He also reported that a license‑plate reader (LPR) alert during a morning patrol led to an arrest of a person with an open fraud warrant.
On commercial crime, Elen said the village has seen a series of overnight smash‑and‑grab burglaries, including a break‑in at Miwa Chinese restaurant and other businesses; the same crew has struck in neighboring jurisdictions, and investigators are pursuing cell‑phone geo‑location data and leads. He characterized the burglary probe as open and active and said camera footage has not yielded an immediately helpful identification in the instances he discussed.
Council members thanked the officers for visible patrols and noted residents’ comfort seeing vehicles in neighborhoods. Elen said staffing changes required onboarding a new off‑duty officer who will begin in March and that the off‑duty program’s presence is intended to deter non‑resident drivers who come to the village for appointments and shopping.
