Apr 27, 2020

Bogus tax returns, thefts, phone miscues highlight police activity


Police Reports
In light of several reports from residents about phony tax returns filed in their name, the Buffalo Grove Police Department offers these tips:
** Plan ahead and file your taxes as early as you can
** Remember, even with the COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments the IRS will not be calling you for any of your financial, banking, or personal information. They won't be emailing you, texting you, or inviting you to a Zoom meeting either.
** Check your credit report at least twice a year
** Shred any paperwork with personal information on it prior to disposing of it
** Stay vigilant with on-line security.  This includes updating passwords, only logging into bank and financial accounts over secure wi-fi networks, and not clicking on links in suspicious e-mails.
** Only buy gift cards for gifts; never use gift cards as a form of payment.  This applies to the IRS, any other government agency, any utility company, and any law enforcement agency.
One ringy, dingy – Police were summoned to Woodman’s after a woman reportedly tied up the phone at the customer service counter. Reports say the woman asked to use the phone to call for a ride. However, she continued to use the phone because, police say, the calls would not go through “…due to the subject's inability to remember the phone number she was trying to call.” When the woman was told she could not continue tying up the phone, she began yelling at a customer service staff member, calling her rude. A manager intervened and tried several times calling the number for the woman, but was unable to complete the calls, which again led to the woman yelling at employees. The manager told her she was not welcome back into the store, to which the woman reportedly started yelling at the manager saying she was going to (ready?) call the corporate officers and get him fired. Given the woman’s lack of ability to make a phone call, the manager’s job is probably safe. For a long time.
Cops nail offender – Police responded to a report that a nonessential business was open. Their investigation found that there were at least two people getting their nails done at two different stations at the Amoveo Med Spa. Police told the patrons and employees they had to leave. Reports did not say if the patrons were getting a basic, French, or Paraffin manicures. The report was filed.
Wire stolen – Representatives of an electrical contractor reported to police that 250 feet of cable they had installed was missing. The value of the 2.0 gauge was $300.
Stimulus check theft – A resident told police she received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the government and wanted her Social Security number to process her stimulus check. The woman told police she complied not realizing it was a scam.
Car theft – An employee at the Jewel on McHenry Road reported that his car was stolen from the lot while he was working. The man said in addition to the car, his FOID card, concealed carry license, a debit card and passport. There was no firearm in the car. If you want to know, yes, the car was unlocked. And by the way, the keys were in the car as well.
Doggone it – A resident in the 500 block of Thornwood Drive told police his upstairs neighbor brushes her three dogs on her balcony and the throws clumps of hair on to his yard. Police left phone messages for the neighbor, but indicated they had not heard from her. She was probably walking her dogs.
Speaking of dogs – Police received a complaint that a “doggy daycare” facility was operating. When police arrived, they found a man sitting at the front desk while a dog was being groomed. The owner said she was grooming her dog and the man was a relative. The woman said she had a license to operate the business, but did not show it to police.
Quick change drinker – Employees at Woodman’s said a couple purchased five bottles of “high end” liquor. Reports said the couple put down $900 in cash, but the grabbed some of it when the clerk wasn’t watching. At the end of the day, the register was $400 short.

Community News
Board approves new contract for fire fighters, paramedics
            Fire fighters and paramedics will receive pay increases with the approval of a new contract. Th agreement, which runs from May 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021, was approved by the Village Board at its meeting on Monday, April 20.

Board proclaims May 10-16 Police Week
            The Village Board April 20 approved a resolution proclaiming May 10-16 “Peace Officers Week”. The week will be highlighted by observance of Peace Officer Memorial Day on May 15. The resolution states that  “…it is important that all citizens know and understand the duties and responsibilities of their police department, and that the members of our police department recognize their duty to serve the people by safeguarding life and property, by protecting them against violence or disorder, and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression or intimidation.”

“Haymarket Affair” topic of Library program
The Indian Trails Public Library is sponsoring an Illinois Labor History Society presentation on the Haymarket Affair, a bombing that took place at a Chicago labor demonstration in 1886.
Participants will learn how this event inspired an international holiday and about the memorial to the martyrs at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.
Registration with a valid email address required through Zoom. To register, click here. You will receive an email confirmation from Zoom with instructions on how to join the program.


Library sets June 2 due date for materials.
The due date for all items checked out from the Indiana Trails Public Library is June 2. While the Library says it hopes to have staff back in the building before then, no items will be due before June 2.  If the library remains closed longer, library staff will adjust due dates.

Drive-bys, fire station tours suspended
Requests for Police and Fire Department personnel to drive-by a resident’s house for a special event, such as a birthday, are on hiatus due to the increasing COVID-19 cases in Buffalo Grove. The Fire Department is limiting personnel and equipment to essential travel only.
Also shelved for the time being are tours at the fire stations, attending block parties and interacting with residents.

Student Voices
Here are links to the student newspapers at Stevenson and Buffalo Grove high schools.
Buffalo Grove High School Charger
Stevenson High School Statesman

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If you have news about your club, school, church, synagogue or other community organization, please submit news, information and story ideas to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.  Articles should include a contact name email and phone number. Commentary articles are also welcome.  They should be limited to 350 words and should include contact information as noted above. All submissions may be edited for style, spelling, and libelous content. Questions about B.G. News & Info. should be sent to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.
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Apr 23, 2020

Village mandates face coverings, masks


If you are over five years of age and engaging in an essential activity in Buffalo Grove, you need a face covering effective 11:59 tonight.
Village President Beverly Sussman issued an executive order today that requires the use of face coverings over the nose and mouth for all individuals five years of age and older who are engaged in essential activities. Sussman's message can be found here.
According to the order, essential activities include shopping for groceries and medications home goods.  Also deemed essential are visiting healthcare professionals and utilizing public transportation.
The order also requires employees of essential businesses that are open to wear face coverings while at work. Businesses are required to refuse admission or services to anyone not wearing a face cover.
Restaurants can continue to provide curbside pickup, drive through or food delivery only. Customers are not allowed to enter any dining establishment to pick up food.
            The village will deliver signs stating “entrance prohibited without face covering” to all essential businesses that are open to be posted at their locations.
The village is proactively working with stores and offices to minimize the number of patrons inside essential businesses at any one time and is encouraging the placement of trash receptacles at cart corrals for the disposal of face coverings and gloves.
            Face coverings will not be required when individuals are outside and observing a safe social distance from others, as well as when they are operating or riding in a vehicle, or while in their own residence.
            For individuals who do not have access to a face mask, sufficient face coverings can be created with materials in the home. A video on how to make a face cover can be found at www.vbg.org/facecover. Homemade face coverings should securely cover both the nose and mouth, and be secured with rubber bands, hair ties or ear loops around the ears. Coverings should have multiple layers of fabric that do not obstruct breathing and can be washed and dried in a traditional washer and dryer, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In accordance with the village code, Buffalo Grove Police and the Community Development Department can enforce the order. Penalties will include a citation with fines of up to $750, and individuals as well as businesses that violate the order can both be cited.
            “This executive order is part of the village’s ongoing efforts to protect our essential workers from COVID-19 exposures, in addition to protecting the health and safety of our entire community,” Village Manager Dane Bragg said. “We wish we did not have to order these measures, but preventing the spread of COVID-19 remains a high priority in Buffalo Grove.”
            The full executive order, frequently asked questions, and a video from Emergency Management Agency Director and Fire Chief Make Baker regarding the order, can also be found at www.vbg.org/facecover.

Apr 20, 2020

Drugs busts, wayward sump pumps spark police activity


Police Reports
**  A Palatine man who was a pharmacy technician at the Walgreens at 15 N. Buffalo Grove Road was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance after he allegedly removed pills from customer prescriptions. Police began their investigation after store officials received complaints from customers who said their prescriptions did not have the prescribed number of pills.
            Working with the store’s security agent, Buffalo Grove police report that among the items found in the man’s car were Diazepam, Butalbital/Acetaminophen/Caffeine,
Loratadine and Fluoxetine Hydrochloride. Reports also indicate that police found two pills of CVS Ibuprofen, which was probably not taken from Walgreens.
**  Drug investigation continues -- A Wheeling man may face charges for drug-related offenses after police found him in his car with drug paraphernalia, drugs and various undetermined pills and syringes filled with undetermined substances. Police found the man in his car after receiving a call from an unnamed resident who told them the ma had been in his car for nearly an hour. Reports say the investigation remains open pending crime lab results of items found in the man’s car.
**  Resident bilked out of $71,000 – A Buffalo Grove resident told police that fraudulent activity in her bank accounts have cost her more than $71,000.  Police reports indicate the woman found six unauthorized charges totaling $9,100 in one checking account and $62,000 in 25 unauthorized in another checking account. She is working with her bank in investigating the situation.
**  Leaf blower swiped – Management at a hardware store in the 700 block of south Buffalo Grove Road report that a leaf blower valued at $200 was apparently stolen. Store officials told police a man wearing a face mask was “acting strangely” and told employees he didn’t want to pay $200 for a leaf blower.  A short time later he was not seen in the store. And neither was the leaf blower.
**  Car theft reported – An employee at a business in the 700 block of Corporate Grove Drive reported her car missing. Police reports indicate that the woman had the keys in the pocket of her coat, which she hung in the company’s break room. A similar theft occurred earlier in April from another nearby company.
**  Sort of like trying to drain the swamp – Police met with a resident about what they called an “illegal sump pump contraption” that he had hooked up. The resident told police that his basement had flooded and that he suspected it was due to wetlands that adjoined his property. But wait, there’s more.  According to reports, the homeowner had been told by a village engineer that “the wetlands to the west of the address were not only federally protected, preventing anyone from altering them in any way, but also belonged to a home owner's association to which the resident did not belong.”
            Undaunted, the homeowner told police that he left the “contraption” hooked up as his goal was “…to pump out the wetlands…” The resident agreed to disconnect the “contraption.” The is real, folks – you can’t make this sort of stuff up.
Community News

Village Board to hold virtual meeting Monday
Residents can join the Village Board for a meeting tonight (Monday, April 20). beginning at 7:30 p.m. via Go-To webinar. Individuals can register to participate in this meeting by visiting this link. The Webinar ID is 763-628-955. The agenda can be found here.

Sussman urges residents to wear masks
In a message to residents, Village President Beverly Sussman urges residents to use “…a cloth face cover or mask while you are shopping at essential businesses.   Please follow the recommendations of federal, state, county and local health authorities for everyone’s protection.” Sussman’s complete message can be found on the village’s Facebook page or here.

Park District lauded for financial report
The Buffalo Grove Park District has received a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for its comprehensive annual financial report. The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting; and, its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.  This is the 22nd consecutive year the Park District has won this award.

Village seeks help with “BG Delivers”
The village is encouraging residents to support “BG Delivers”, a campaign aimed at encouraging ongoing support for Buffalo Grove restaurants and residents who need assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full information, including a map and listing of local restaurants that are open for pick-up and delivery, can be found here.

Schneider seeks thank you notes, cards for front line workers
U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-10) is inviting constituents of all ages to create and submit notes thanking frontline workers for their incredible service during the COVID-19 pandemic via an online portal he has created.

Top Cop offers two words of advice:  Slow Down
            In a social media post, Buffalo Grove Police Chief Steve Casstevens urged motorists to slow down.  But with good reason. Casstevens posted: “OK everybody, you need to slow down! In the past three weeks, I have never been passed by so many cars doing over 100 mph in my life. Contrary to popular belief, speed limits have not been suspended. You would hate to survive the Covid (sic) virus, only to wind up dying in a high-speed car crash. SLOW DOWN!”


Speaking of Chief Casstevens
Even police chiefs need a break from the grind, especially when it snows in April.


Got News?
If you have news about your club, school, church, synagogue or other community organization, please submit news, information and story ideas to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.  Articles should include a contact name email and phone number. Commentary articles are also welcome.  They should be limited to 350 words and should include contact information as noted above. All submissions may be edited for style, spelling, and libelous content. Questions about B.G. News & Info. should be sent to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.
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If you want to receive Buffalo Grove News & Information right to your email box, send you email address to BuffaloGroveNews@Gmail.com.

Domestic battery charges / Restaurants closing / Cultural Fair flap at ASHS

  From the cop shop ** Domestic battery – A 35-year-old Buffalo Grove man is facing domestic battery charges following an incident in the...