Burr Ridge crime continues to rise as elected officials dither

Burr Ridge IL

07 January, 2021

2:30 PM

Description

Many of us in Burr Ridge have sensed what the latest national data shows: crime in our town continues to rise. The 2019 crime numbers (the most recent available) are out, and they show that crime in Burr Ridge rose 6 percent compared to 2018. We are far worse off than next-door neighbors like Darien, which is a much larger city. Plus, I'm afraid that once 2020 crime data comes out, the negative trajectory will not have changed. The sad truth is, "In the last 5 years Burr Ridge has seen a rise in violent crime and property crime," a City-Data.com analysis of crime in Burr Ridge shows. I alerted Mayor Gary Grasso and Chief John Madden last March about the need to address this problem with, first, transparency about the number and nature of the crimes, and second, open and honest board discussions aimed at arriving at solutions to fight it. Instead, I was criticized for talking about the issue. That's too bad because under the failed leadership of our Mayor and his rubber-stamp board, we've lost valuable time to organize a response that will reduce or end these crimes and ensure Burr Ridge is both a very special place and, once again, a very safe place too. These are crimes of opportunities. To end them, we need to take away the easy opportunity for thieves in Burr Ridge by significantly and very visibly increasing awareness and education. Several months ago I was pleased to see the flashing police alert sign out on County Line Road reminding citizens to lock their doors and take the garage door openers in from their cars. But when I emailed Chief Madden to compliment him, the sign was promptly taken down and never brought back. I guess the Mayor cares more about being vindictive and playing political games than public safety. But really, it's our citizens who are best suited to help end the type of crimes we see here and send thieves packing to another town. To his credit, the Chief recently posted a "Community Alert" about rising burglaries and auto thefts in the Chicago suburbs. But it takes only a recent sighting of a would-be armed robber via a doorbell camera in the Savoy Club subdivision to show much more needs to be done before the situation becomes even worse. I have asked Grasso to put this on the agenda at the Monday, January 11 meeting -- along with a discussion of greater transparency of the village's expenses. At a minimum we need to discuss: The proper use of Burr Ridge's Nixle alert system, which Grasso is now using to campaign and discuss policy positions instead of alerting residents to real emergencies – such as the aforementioned "Community Alert" regarding rising burglaries and auto thefts. Nixle offers guidelines that talk about "Alert Fatigue," and how they have made changes to help avoid it. A competitor to Nixle explains the importance of 'alert fatigue' and how to provide actionable messages, which is the opposite of how Mayor Grasso has unilaterally decided to use the system. The proper use of village mailers to alert residents of rising crime and what safeguards they can take to stop it. Using mailers, as Grasso did in the fall, to advocate for a pay raise was a waste of taxpayers' money and an abuse of the office, but I sure would support mailing the recent police community alert bulletin about armed robbers to every resident in town. The possible use of more cameras and other smart technologies to deter crime. I supported a recent effort by the police to add more smart cameras but wonder why we didn't talk about this sooner, like when I first asked about it last March. Several crimes might have been prevented or solved. Would more part-time police officers help? I know many towns use part-time officers to supplement the full-time force in a cost-effective manner that helps reduce pension costs. How about organizing and revitalizing neighborhood watch programs using today's technology? Are 12-hour shifts really the best for both our officers and our residents? I've heard from law enforcement families that this is tough on officers, who are human too, and after 8 hours of the adrenaline highs and lows that come with the job, officers can become fatigued and less effective. Let's hear from outside experts, but most important of all, let's invite our residents to discuss their concerns at a series of meetings so we can learn more about how we can all work together to stop the growing crime. If we are honest, open, and stay laser focused on our goal, we can support the police and help them keep us safe while we do it in a more cost-effective manner. Tackling crime, not rewarding friends, is a core function of local government. Let's all make a resolution to work together and stop this alarming crime trend in Burr Ridge.