Elmhurst Mayor Reacts To High-Profile Crimes

ELMHURST, IL — You may have noticed the high-profile crimes in recent days in Elmhurst. The mayor said city officials have as well.

At City Council meetings, the mayor and aldermen typically don't often mention specific crimes, but Mayor Scott Levin noted three at Monday's session.

On Monday, Thorntons on North York Street was robbed, while a driver at 7-Eleven was carjacked three days earlier. On Aug. 29, two men got out of a vehicle, displayed a handgun and held up a man walking his dog in the 300 block of Cayuga Avenue.

Levin said concerned aldermen have been calling city officials about the recent crimes. And he said he met with Police Chief Michael Ruth earlier in the day. He said he was told that certain categories of crimes in Elmhurst, including burglaries, thefts and car break-ins, are dropping.

The mayor noted the carjacking in particular.

"A common scenario is for carjackers to victimize owners of high-end vehicles. They arrive in cars that were already stolen. They're going to neighborhoods and communities with higher-end vehicles, and when those higher-end vehicles are taken, they're used to commit crimes in other jurisdictions," Levin said.

The day after Elmhurst's carjacking, one in occurred in Lombard, he said.

"Many of the reports have been in Hinsdale, Lombard and other suburbs. I'm not throwing them under the bus. There are a significant number of high-end vehicles in a city like Hinsdale," Levin said.

He said he could not comment on the recent crimes because they remain under investigation. But he said local police are working with other area police departments. And federal agencies also have gotten involved, he said.

"I want to reiterate that we have a high-quality police department," he said. "They are very well-trained and equipped."