Just over one month before a female jogger was attacked and dragged off the path at Lake Arlington last Thursday, another female jogger was attacked twice during the same jog in the area of St. Viator High School.
A female jogger reported that a male offender, who was riding a bicycle, grabbed the female jogger at Euclid and Dryden about 1:30 p.m. on August 18, 2013, and grabbed her again a second time about 15 minutes later near Oakton Street and Beverly Avenue.
Police arrested a male resident who lives in the 0-99 block of North Dryden at his apartment on Dryden Avenue, just north of Kensington Road. The offender was released on $120 bail.
Police did not release information about this crime incident to the media, and did not alert residents about the crime using the Citizen Observer community policing tool. Arlington Heights police also did NOT release the information on the official Arlington Heights Police Department twitter account.
The Cardinal received a tip from a friend of the victim. The Cardinal contacted the Arlington Heights police, who confirmed the attack and arrest.
Police did release alerts regarding the attack of a female jogger at Lake Arlington that was reported to have occurred about 6:00 a.m. Thursday, September 26, 2013. Police also distributed fliers. Arlington Heights police detectives were positioned at three locations on the Lake Arlington trail on Monday morning distributing fliers and making sure people were aware of the attack. Police were also seeking any witnesses to the attack, and/or the sighting of a man fleeing the attack.
Since Arlington Heights police, as part of the Northwest Central Dispatch System communications system, have switched to military grade secret encrypted police radios, The Cardinal — Arlingtoncardinal.com has been critical of police agencies for not providing real time alerts and consistent reports of criminal incidents in communities. While Arlington Heights Police Department, with at least two other communities, has performed better than most communities in the Northwest Central Dispatch System regarding alerting the public, there is apparently much room for improvement.
Police Request Help to Attempt to Identify Battery Suspect; Warn Public About Pre-Dawn Attack
Police on the path at Lake Arlington on the north side of the lake near the location where a woman was attacked and dragged to a wooded area before she escaped on Thursday, September 26, 2013 about 6:00 a.m.
b>Cardinal Note: As of June 5, 2013 — up to and including the date of this article — police incidents related to the above police agency are not reported in real time or within a prompt time period. Police protecting their realm of investigation and police activity, have chosen to use encrypted radios to withhold their police communications, which were previously open to the public and news media via monitoring of public safety scanning radios — with no known negative results locally.
The delayed knowledge or entirely blacked out knowledge resulting from encrypted police communications may protect certain police operations and investigations, but it also puts the public at risk in situations such as when armed and dangerous offenders are at large and when other similar situations occur. In other cases, the delayed or blacked out information inhibits or prohibits the possibility of the public providing early witness accounts before a criminal trail goes cold. Citizens are much more likely to recognize or recall suspicious or criminal activity if they are aware of the criminal incident within minutes or hours of its occurrence. The most serious incident involving dire results would be a trail that is allowed to go cold in the case of child abduction.
The lack of real time information from public police dispatch also weakens an effective neighborhood watch program mostly working to prevent property loss, but also working to prevent possible violent crimes.
Police have alternate ways to transmit tactical, operational or investigative information, while still keeping their main public dispatch channels open for the best balance of public safety and police safety.
See also …
The Cardinal Arlington Heights Police Out at Break of Dawn to Warn Joggers, Walkers, Bikers of an Attack Last Thursday
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When the wife and I go walking, I use a walking stick, not for orthopedic support, but to fend off dogs; not necessarily of the four legged variety.
I also carry no wallet or money, only a cell phone.
My walking stick has a bear head carved into it…an import from Poland, unlike the wolf’s head found on canes in the 1940’s wolfman movies and Dark Shadows soap opera. I hope I never have to leave a bear-head-shaped imprint on some predator…I do feel a little more secure, with my walking stick…it is substantial in size and weight.
I live in Streamwood, where the police leave automated messages on our phone about neighborhood threats.
This has happened before in the same area of St Viator by two kids jumping on the back of an older gentleman during a walk. (Sept 2011?) There needs to be a community alert issued. This has obviously occurred multiple times over a period of time. The police back in 2011 were aware of similar incidents happening.