March 24, 2007 By FRANK ABDERHOLDEN fabderholden@scn1.com ANTIOCH -- With armed robberies h... Line of defense...

ANTIOCH -- With armed robberies happening more often in the Chicago suburbs, Antioch police have taken the initiative to put themselves in the best possible position to solve the crime.

Police Chief James Foerster said that the attempted robbery Jan. 6 last year at First National Bank in Antioch and then the February Burger King robbery got him thinking about being more pro-active about armed robberies. A homeless man living at a Fox Lake hotel was later charged with the bank robbery in Antioch and one in Paddock Lake, Wis.

» Click to enlarge image Officer Nick Garcia (left) talks to Fay Liarakos, who owns The Squire Restaurant in Antioch, about robbery prevention at her business.

"There had been more armed robberies in the suburban areas in general, especially bank robberies," he said. So they sent Officer Nick Garcia to crime prevention school with the emphasis of helping businesses avoid becoming a victim, but additionally, they wanted to be able to help the business owner be of more help to police in solving the crime.

On Feb. 22, Advance America Cash in the 600 block of Route 173 was robbed and Foerster decided Garcia should just blanket every business in town. Now they have a data base to work with.

"We found out who has surveillance and logged them. We checked to see what (the cameras) can see and what they couldn't see and who knows how to operate the systems. So if there is a robbery at a business, we know where to get the information quickly," said Foerster.

Garcia went to about 200 business and handed out a flier and reviewed what type of video or alarm system, or both, the business was using, he said.

He would check the equipment with the owner to make sure there was tape in the camera and that it was operating correctly. He would also review policies for handling money and changing shifts.

"That was a big thing: good cash handling practices," he said, which can simply mean don't count the cash on the counter, go to the back room, and don't leave the cash register open.

"We also encouraged them to make a lot of cash drops in the safe," he said, and if they didn't have a safe, get a time-locked safe that only opens at certain times. "Keeping things neat and attractive also has an effect. Customers like it, but robbers don't like it," Garcia said.

He also coaches them to be aware of being able to give a good description of the robber or if that isn't possible, the vehicle they use. "When they call 9-1-1, the dispatcher will ask for that information. As we respond, we can be looking for the robber on the way there," he said. Once there, the officer already has the name of the person able to retrieve the tape.

"We also told them if someone seems suspicious, don't hesitate to call us. Sometimes they would say they didn't want to bother us, but we told them, that's not a bother, that's why we are here," Garcia said.

Detective Rick Moritz said there had been occasions in the past when video equipment wasn't working and was of no help. On the other hand, surveillance has been integral in helping make an arrest.

One recent example was a manager of the Dunkin' Donuts who stole around $200,000 over a long period of time. It was captured on videotape, and police were able to match up the tape with the receipts of certain days to show how he would take the money. He eventually pleaded guilty.

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