Palatine Police: Watch Out For Burglaries

The wants residents to be wary of "distraction" burglaries following two recent incidents in the village.

On Aug. 31 between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., a woman in the 700 block of N. Victoria Drive was approached by a man claiming to be a new neighbor. Police said the home next door was for sale and the man said he had purchased the home.

The man told the woman that he planned to put up a fence and asked the woman if they could look at the property line. Police said that while the woman was in the backyard with the man, a second individual entered the home and burglarized it.

Taken from the home was an 18 carat wedding band valued at $2,000, an 18 carat gold bracelet set valued at $1,300, a 14 carat gold necklace valued at $200, 14 carat gold Love Knot earrings valued at $200, an 18 carat gold lady's Movado watch valued at $2,000.

The second incident occurred on Sept. 1 in the 100 block of Stonington Drive between 2:40 p.m. and 3 p.m. A man came to the residence and told a woman he was there to trim the hedges. The victim went outside of the house, but became suspicious of the man.

Police said the woman went back to the front door to find a second man exiting her home. The man said to her "Ma'am, you need to lock the door." The woman went inside the home to find various jewelry missing.

Palatine police said residents should be wary of such "distraction" burglarlies. Police said offenders usually attempt to lure the homeowner outside or talk there way into the home. While the homeowner's attention is occupied, one or more accomplices will burglarize the home.

The department has placed an informational video on these tactics on Palatine's cable channel 6.