Crime & Safety

Lake Zurich Police Campaign, Lock It Or Lose It, Rings True


Lake Zurich’s latest rash of car burglaries all had one thing in common.

“All involved unlocked cars,” Commander David Bradstreet said.

There have been seven vehicle burglaries reported where someone or a group of people took items like cash, GPS and cellular phones from unlocked cars or unlocked cars put in unlocked garages, Bradstreet said.

The cases are under investigations. Police are also seeing an increase in criminal damage reports. There have been 20 reports in the last month and all are under investigation as well, Bradstreet said.

Lake Zurich police have had rashes of vehicle burglaries in the past, sometimes done by professional crews and sometimes done by teenagers, he said.

“At the end of every school year, we have a rash. We always end up catching them,” Bradstreet said.

Officers posted signs all over town last year when the department began a campaign called Lock It Or Lose It to stem the tide of vehicle burglaries, he said. It’ s a good slogan to remember this summer.

The simplest way to avoid becoming a victim is lock vehicle doors and garages, Bradstreet said. Additionally, don’t leave valuables in the car and if you have an anti-theft alarm system, activate it, he said.

Lock It or Lose It is a simple way to remember to keep vehicles safe from burglars, but Lake Zurich police have a few other tips:

  • The vast majority of the time thieves will pass a locked vehicle because they don’t want to expend the time or risk getting caught trying to enter it. Approximately 90% of the burglaries committed involved unlocked vehicles.
  • If you choose to leave valuables in your car then take one second to lock it. One second may save you days of inconvenience and money.
  • Never leave your vehicle unattended with keys in the ignition.
  • Lock your doors and keep the windows closed, even when parked in front of your home.
  • Park in busy and well-lighted areas.
  • Do not leave valuables—GPS, GPS holder, cell phone—in plain view.
  • Equip your vehicle with an alarm or other anti-theft device.
  • Never leave your vehicle registration or other personal documents in your vehicle. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.

More from Lake Zurich