Riverside police are warning residents to be wary of a telephone scam making its way through the village.
Since the beginning of the month, police say, they have received five reports of residents getting a telephone call from someone claiming to be a police officer: “Lt. Cruz,” “Sgt. Smith” or another official-sounding name.
According to police, the caller will say that a family member has been involved in an accident and that, to find out more information, the resident needs to call a telephone number that begins with *721. The caller is not to provide additional information, but only to dial the number beginning with the *721 code.
If that number is called, it will allow inmates at Cook County Jail or at another prison to make collect long-distance calls which will be charged to the resident’s phone.
If you get such a call, do not call the *721 number. Call Riverside police at 447-2127 to let them know of the incident.
Burglary
Riverside police are warning residents to lock their vehicles and not to leave valuables in their cars after a spate of burglaries throughout the village in the past week.
Between Aug. 12 and 16, Riverside police received eight reports of vehicles being broken into. According to Det. Sgt. David Krull, offenders appear to be targeting vehicles that are unlocked, although one window was reported smashed out. Among the items being taken from vehicles are global positioning system (GPS) units, iPods and loose change.
Retail theft
North Riverside police received a call on Aug. 13 from the store manager at Whitehall Jewelers in the North Riverside Park Mall, 7505 Cermak Road, reporting that while doing an inventory that morning she discovered two diamond rings missing from the display case.
According to the report, the rings-which were valued at about $18,000-were last seen in the display case the previous evening.
Pickpocket
A 55-year-old Berwyn woman contacted North Riverside police on Aug. 12 at 1:30 p.m. to report that she had been pickpocketed while shopping at the Goodwill thrift store, 1900 Harlem Ave., earlier that day.
The woman told police she was looking at dishes and knickknacks on display, when a woman approached, holding clothes on hangers in such a way that they shielded her identity.
When the victim bent down to look at some items, the woman remained close by, leaving when the victim stood up. Shortly thereafter, the victim realized her purse was open and her wallet-containing ID cards, a credit card and $24 in cash-was gone.
DUI
Franklin Park resident Rene Conchas, 44, faces felony DUI charges after an officer stopped him for allegedly speeding and driving erratically while northbound on First Avenue from 31st Street on Aug. 12 just after 3:30 a.m.
According to police, Conchas’s Chevy was going 53 mph in a 35-mph zone and had the vehicles high-beam lights on and his left turn signal flashing. Conchas reportedly failed field sobriety tests and a breath test revealed a blood-alcohol content of .190, which is over twice the legal limit.
Felony charges were approved after it was learned that Conchas did not have a valid driver’s license and was driving an uninsured vehicle.
Brookfield police charged Flavio Ortiz, 48, of Brookfield, with DUI after an officer reported his 1998 Chevy van weave over the double yellow line while eastbound on Ogden Avenue and then nearly strike a parked car when he turned south onto Custer Avenue on Aug. 18 just before 1 a.m.
Police reported that Ortiz failed field sobriety tests and refused a breath test. In addition to DUI, he was cited for various traffic offenses.
Possession of stolen property
A 17-year-old Brookfield boy was charged with possession of stolen property on Aug. 11 after a police officer noticed him riding a bicycle that matched the description of one stolen out of Riverside on Aug. 7.
An officer had contact with the alleged offender, who was riding a blue Haro F4 BMX bike valued at $250, on Aug. 11 an hour before the bike was entered into the police computer system as stolen. The officer said that he located the boy on the stolen bike in the 9300 block of Fairview Avenue in the company of another boy riding a black Felt BMX bike.
Jaime Murillo, of Brookfield, was arrested. The other boy abandoned the black bike and fled on foot.
These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Riverside, North Riverside and Brookfield police departments from Aug. 11 through Aug. 18 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. The cases have not been adjudicated.
-Compiled by Bob Uphues