Police Warn Of "Felony Lane" Car Burglars

Glenview police are warning area residents about a a recent spate of car burglaries around the North Shore that may be the work of a "Felony Lane Gang."

The name refers to burglars' tendency to pass stolen and forged checks from the drive-through lane furthest from a bank building in order to avoid being identified, according to a press release from police. 

Police say the burglars will smash the window of a car, then steal checks or ID cards from a woman's purse on the front seat, along with other valuables. They tend to target parks and recreational areas, including Flick Park and Gallery Park, police said.

At least two car burglaries were reported recently in Flick Park in Glenview, according to police. Both took place after dark, and in each case, the burglar smashed the driver's side window and stole a purse from the front seat, along with its contents.

Police provided the following tips to help prevent burglary:

• Bring valuables from your car into your home.
• Take valuables with you when you leave your car to watch a sporting event at a local park.
• If you need to leave smaller less valuable item(s) in your car overnight keep them out of view by locking the item(s) in a glove box or a traditional car trunk.
• Lock the doors to your car, but don’t rely on pressing the automatic lock on your key ring without verifying the doors are locked or lock the doors manually.
• Don’t leave the garage door opener in a car parked in the driveway overnight for a thief to access other cars in the garage.

 Like Skokie Patch on Facebook and sign up to receive Skokie news and alerts in a free daily email from Patch.