Page 53 - Sept 2017

16th District recognizes citizens who helped catch burglars
n BY NICK SWEDBERG
A Chicago firefighter and three young girls recently re- ceived Citizen Awards from 16th District personnel for their heroism and bravery in catching two burglars in June.
The girls, who were home when suspects Michael and Marcos Alarcon attempted to burglarize the house, called 911 after they heard breaking glass and pounding on the door of a West Hobart home. Firefighter Tim Sanders, a 17-year veteran with the Chicago Fire Department, tack- led one of the suspects who allegedly broke into the res- idence.
“If it wasn’t for that person who actually tackled the offender and held them, and then was able to get the second one...if it wasn’t for their help, it probably would have fallen through the cracks,” said CAPS Officer An- nette Ruiz-Oquendo.
The girls had bolted upstairs to a bedroom and locked the door when they heard the attempted break-in around 10 a.m. on June 15. Within minutes of calling 911, police were on their way.
Sanders and his wife, Lisa, were walking their dog when they spotted one of the men running from police. Tim tackled the fleeing man, while Lisa helped locate the oth- er suspect hiding under a porch. Police found a pillowcase filled with jewelry and two kitchen knives in a bedroom inside the home, which was in disarray from the burglary.
The awards, and the actions of the people who received them, show the progress being made in the effort to build a stronger relationship between the community and the officers who protect it, said Ruiz-Oquendo.
Several times a year, a citizen will step up and do the right thing, while “so many people are playing a blind eye because they don’t want to be involved,” she said.
Ruiz-Oquendo added that the district’s community programs help officers be more in tune with the needs of residents, and citizens respond to that by being more will- ing to assist police.
District Cmdr. Bill Looney presented the citizen awards during a ceremony in early August. d
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