Look! (again)
Lack of enforcement leads to....more crime!
Maeve Priestley was overcome with anxiety when she woke up early one morning and discovered the driver’s side window of her Honda Civic had been smashed out. Priestley, 26, cried outside her Lake View condo building as she assessed the damage and realized an air bag had been ripped out of her steering wheel. She didn’t know what to do, so she called her dad.
“It’s a very violating experience,” says Priestley, a special education teacher. “I felt very panicked.”
She was among the more than 1,200 victims of air bag thefts in Chicago in the first four months of this year. Between 2023 and 2025, there were only 70 such thefts, according to Chicago police data.
Amid this year’s surge, the Chicago Police Department has suspended air bag theft investigations more quickly. And virtually all of the cases have gone unsolved, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of the data found.
Gee, a teacher in Lakeview was the victim of a crime - wonder how she voted.
And the Slum Times is "analyzing" the data:
A police spokesperson says theft investigations “often take time and can be difficult to solve without video or forensic evidence.”
These Thefts can be accomplished in about thirty-seven seconds (ask us how we know!) using a rock and a box cutter - that's it.
- no one is calling 9-1-1 during that time frame,
- no one at 9-1-1 is picking up that call that quickly and typing up a ticket,
- no one is dispatching that call in thirty-seven seconds (it's a Priority 3, tops)
- no one is responding in that amount of time
And if - completely by chance - an Officer stumbles on a Theft in Progress, they aren't allowed to chase, on foot or by vehicle, for a misdemeanor Theft.
Any proposed "crackdown" by the City council is political posturing at best.
Labels: crime
posted by SCC at 12:03 AM
69 Comments:
Commie teachers should already know the term “Wealth Distribution”
Someone else needed it more!!
Uhhh, that's a burglary, and you are not prohibited from pursuing a burglar that is escaping in a motor vehicle. 720 ILCS 5/19-1
I love it when crime shits on a liberal and the liberal can’t understand why!
It's the Chicago way.
Crime in Chicago goes unchecked and the department bosses don’t care. I see it day and day out and it sickens me.
What the police spokesperson really means is that there aren't enough detectives, evidence technicians and technology personnel available to canvas, dust for fingerprints, or retrieve video. Basically not enough personnel to care.
That kind of vehicle crime has been happening in 019 for decades and mostly goes unsolved and file an insurance claim if you have it.
I did many police reports for thefts of air bags, busted out car windows, stolen car wheels left on blocks, stolen catalytic convertor thefts and I just retired after 32 years! and nothing new!
The last part of that post is so true. We’ve had the SDSC room call it out while theyre in the act as well as officers on viewing them. We’ve chased them after speeding off (burglary to auto , not theft) but it’s usually called off shortly thereafter since it’s still only a property crime and the offenders usually jump on the expressway and are driving way too recklessly
Used they go for up to $700 on Ebay for Hondas. Get Ebay to ban them.
Not in 017. Our leaders are telling us it’s ok to chase these “theft” offenders. They said that because they’re usually armed it’s ok for us to chase them. Nowhere in the chase policy does it say that, but our leaders are saying that we will be fine if anything happens.
Silly people calling the police for insurance business 🤪
Buy American problem solved
The 019th district spends the budget on all the do nothing event teams. Biggest scammers they should be taking these jobs on there “12 hour tours”. Instead of eating at the favorite eatery of Hattie Bs overpriced chicken. The watch is understaffed for BS teams in the district, so yep no way is anybody getting to that job quick.
Ain’t nobody chasing for an airbag theft it’s what most people voted for in that area of the city. The only idiots chasing would be the 009th district tac teams morons like the pursuit yesterday that went all the way into Fulton Market at rush hour.
I stopped stumbling on crime after my first year. And the CR that I was served for stopping a on view domestic. Women fighting to get away from man in empty gas station. Turned out the male was an off duty Sheriff deputy on the monthly drinking and wife beating tour!
The deputy made it on the job with CPD! What a world……
It was her turn to take one for Team Progressive Dummycrat. Bend over and grab your ankles.
Priestly can go fuck right off. You know she is a lunatic liberal who hates the police. I love it when demoCRAPS are victims of the Scum they protect and choose too side with over LE
no,no,no,,, those are not thefts or damage to vehicle, it is lost property and hail damage
sincerely:
your local district commanders killing crime
Where are the being sold? The question isn't the theft, who's buying them. What else came to Chicago over the past few years, by the bus load? Where's the police work, the investigation?
It's simple 4th grade math to then realize why your vehicle insurance premiums continually rise.
I've asked before (not here) and haven't gotten an answer. What are they stealing airbags for? If it's to sell who is buying airbags second hand? Seems like that would be sketchy at best. Removing an airbag doesn't compromise the air bag? Just can't wrap my head around it. Thanks
Crime is baked into the Leftist cake. It's meant to condition you. Soften you up.
Doesn’t the value of the airbag alone bring the theft to the threshold of felony? Is the auto theft task force not jumping on the opportunity to push the ASA’s for auto theft charges like they bragged about with the catalytic converter bandits?
They need to crack down on the businesses buying these stolen airbags. It’s kind of obvious they are stolen when some bust out brings in like 50 airbags or Catalitic converters But these businesses probably make a bunch off these people so they don’t inform the police. There can’t be that many places that buy them so have someone watch those places
Voting for incompetent leadership brings unwanted results, liberal lesson of the day
Maeve Priestley, a special education teacher, is smart enough to know at risk subjects will do anything to put food on the table or the narco cartel's daily injected poison running through their veins. Its just a misdemeanor property crime under $1,000 after your insurance deductible, so don't sweat it. To put this in perspective, it roughly 1/40th of the cost to educate a public school student. And prosecution leads to incarceration and we know public educators do not want this. Your inconvenience, your expenses, your convictions to alternatives to criminal prosecution, your commitment to keep criminals un-institutionalized are a small price to pay in this progressive town. A little sacrifice, doing your part, goes a long way.
Your chase will end in a shoot put and COPA will demand termination for a minor infraction. You’ll be in ARS for 2 years and become best friends with JCat when you then apply for PTSD disability. My advice——DON’T CHASE.
I would propose a quick way to ending these thefts would be exploding airbags. If the airbag is tampered with it explodes thus rendering the thief injured or dead. Quick end to this mischievous act.
017 and your supervisors are fucked up...go chase and see what happens, then tell COPA your boss said its ok.
The Captain is a moron. He won’t be there to back you up when you are taking time.
There is a thing called GOOGLE...use it.
Welcome to Chicago, Ms. Preistly...These are our values. Here since 1837...you?
Correct. Our Capt DK is full of war stories and department policy that doesn’t exist. Look what happened when he was in 018. That’s why their whole tac team is in call back
now if someone could devise a way to place a small amount of C4 explosive around the steering column when they exit their Honda, Suprise, Suprise like Gomer Pile use to say.
Start telling air bag victims to make their reports at the alderman’s office.
Yes. It a real head scratcher why they aren't the targets.
You sound like one of those fools who say theft & shoplifting don’t matter “cuz they have insurance”… who then turns around & bitches about “Food Deserts” in the same breath.
Un, Bro… Honda Civics are made by Americans in Ohio, Indiana, & Alabama. Look it up. Many vehicles you think are “US Made” are actually manufactured in places like Mexico, by foreigners making a fraction of the wage here.
Comes down to, Do you want to keep thousands of jobs in a US town, or just throw cash to a few US Board of Director types for their country club memberships, simply to have an “American” logo on your foreign-made car?
010 & similar neighborhoods are packed with gypsy auto repair “businesses” working off-grid in an alley garage. Tons of stolen-part biz right there. But no one cares.
Don't trust the word of a boss. Have him put it in writing so he can't deny it later and throw you under the bus.
If any leader tells you it’s ok to chase for an air bag theft, you know right then and there they do not have your best interest at heart. They obviously don’t care about you or your family and the absolute world of shit that will rain down upon you if that chase goes south. That leader is probably a merit hack that is only worried about their numbers and I would get as far away from them as possible.
Does she have a breakdown when Starbucks doesn't make her latte correctly?
You’re kidding right? So in our orders you are prohibited from chasing a whole stolen vehicle, but you think it’s ok to chase for a something small stolen out of a motor vehicle? Yeah, you should do that and let us all know how it goes when you lose your job and are getting sued for everything you own. Are you the dummy leader from 017 they posted about below?
You cited state law, not our more restrictive chase policy. If you chase for this or catalytic converter thefts you seriously need your head examined. Of someone even so much as loses a fingernail in that chase you are screwed. And why would you put yourself and your job on the line when you know that nobody wants you to chase and the city and copa can’t wait to hang you for something like this.
she probably voted for conehead and Kamala too freckin bad
Actually they were gypsies who have been breaking into houses on the west end of 008 and it was the helicopter that was on them with the officers monitoring. But your version sounds better…
The 411 is that bosses have been getting called out at compstat regarding these airbag thefts. So to avoid getting called on the carpet again, they’re telling their people that it’s ok to chase these air bag theft crews. They don’t care because they’ll never get called for the deposition and they’re never the ones on the hook for the chase. They’ll never go to roll calls and say that of course, or put it in writing in an email, but the snaky fucks are pressuring the Lts and Sgt’s to let these chases go. First hand knowledge.
If anyone is telling you that I would bid off that watch or out of that district the next chance I got. Whoever is telling you that does not care about you or your career. Get as far away as possible from them.
No offender in custody, no burglary. Case report is for a theft.
Don’t believe them. Listen up. Don’t chase. Ever.
When these liberals ask me "what they should do, in case they see the thugs in the act".
I always tell them to get a gun, shoot the MFs, and never call 911.
Same as not calling 911 when they witness their neighbors blasting the fuckers.
An airbag is an original part of the vehicle itself so it’s a Theft, not a burglary.
She can tape her “Hate Has No Home Here” poster to where her car window used to be until repairs are made.
Awwww poor baby... Whatever shall we do? This isn't supposed to happen in the "Good Hoods"! Better file a complaint and get that handled posthaste! This is completely unacceptable! I pay taxes ya know! TAXES! Do you know who my DAD is?
LOL... Welcome to the Big City Honey.... Ain't diversity great?
Check eBay for airbags - there's a ton of those things, all "pre-owned" at price points from around $100 to over $450... If they don't sell it on eBay, it'll be etsy... bonanzle... craigslist... dude to dude... dude to shady repair shop...
The only way to solve this problem in the future is to indemnify anyone blowing away the thieves when they're in the act. Award them a box of ammo and a cleaning kit as a thank you for handling the situation...
Your bosses are correct. The only two offenses that you absolutely cannot chase for per general order is theft and traffic. Breaking into a vehicle and stealing an airbag while a property crime, is classified as a burglary, not theft. Add in having prior knowledge of these offenders often being armed and you’ve got something should you choose to engage. Knowing how to write up reports to justify your actions is a skill, try learning it.
It’s a burglary not a simple theft
And we all saw how that ended. Gonna have some explaining to do from the p.o.’s all the way up to Cmdr who let it continue.
You can't wrap your head around it because you're probably not a criminal. The supply chain is broken since covid. Insurance companies are totaling new cars because they cannot get new airbags. That creats the demand for airbags at any cost. Therefore the black market. Body shops, junk yards, alley mechanics will a good dollar for undamaged airbags nobody has in stock. It is not compromised by taking out of the steering wheel. It's a cartridge. How do you think they install it? (Don't answer) the airbags gets compromised when it deploys after a crash.
Criminals don't have jobs. Stealing airbags, catalytic converters, atm machines and cash registers is much easier. You're welcome
Clearly you didn't read the vehicle pursuit order. Here. I'll explain it to you in one word. CPD vehicle pursuit order - DON'T. Or you must have nothing to lose when (and does) end badly.
mayor bj doesn't have the intelligence or testicular fortitude to fight crime. If he had a son.....
eBay has 8500 listings under "Honda Airbag"
Those are the words of our Captain. Part time employee at best, doesn’t work the hours he is supposed to and is never around when something happens.
Your bosses are correct. The only two offenses that you absolutely cannot chase for per general order is theft and traffic. Breaking into a vehicle and stealing an airbag while a property crime, is classified as a burglary, not theft. Add in having prior knowledge of these offenders often being armed and you’ve got something should you choose to engage. Knowing how to write up reports to justify your actions is a skill, try learning it.
6/13/2026 03:22:59 PM
Can we please get clarification from the dept or union if chasing for airbags is ok? Seems insane to me, like another poster mentioned, that if we can’t chase for a stolen vehicle then how the heck would we be justified chasing for a part of a vehicle. I’d like to see in writing tho that we can’t because some mush bosses will still encourage this behavior.
This ⬆️ 😂😂😂
Ah shiiit, he’s making his play for commander. U can always tell when they start telling the troops to do stuff, like chase cars for thefts, that no boss in their right mind would ever ask people they are supposed to care about to do in this anti police climate.
They’re not coming out explicitly saying go chase however, they haven’t stopped guys in my district from at least initially engaging.
Does anyone think for themselves? Read the order yourself. Read the statute yourself.
Jessani is useless.
While you may have the statue and the crime right, you didn't play the reality all us 9161's walking around fear, the GO/policy non-sense game. Try justifying chasing someone/a vehicle for an airbag when they get into a crash and kill themselves or someone else. We will not be attending nor giving you a 10-1 benefit when you get to 376 or get fired for being a fucking idiot. There is a reason why CPD officers stopped doing anything(who have a brain) or left for departments that give you ALL the power to do a pursuit, it's because the taxpayers push the mayor into a corner if they do shit like this letting shitbags run around causing problems... Fyi-this not just a city thing, but a suburb and NATIONAL issue.
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