Crime & Safety

Police Hope to Prevent Gun Shop Burglaries With New Ordinance

After the Downrange Sports gun shop in New Lenox was burglarized twice in December, police hope stricter security measures will prevent it from happening again in the future. Meanwhile, they continue to investigate the theft of 15 guns.

Editor's note: This article originally published Jan. 24, 2012, and has been updated to reflect the Village Board's approval.

hope stricter security measures will prevent future gun shop burglaries after 15 firearms were stolen from in December.

The Village Board approved a new ordinance Monday that would require gun shop owners to meet various security requirements, such as putting all firearms in a safe overnight and installing silent alarms that would directly notify police.

Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Downrange Sports will be impacted by the new ordinance. The local shop was burglarized twice in December, after unidentified people entered through a window and smashed a glass case holding the guns.

Police are still investigating those burglaries but have recovered three of the guns, and another in Joliet when a man fled on foot during a traffic stop. A third was recently discovered by the Will County Sheriff's Department during a traffic stop.

Find out what's happening in New Lenoxwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It would be in (the owner's) best interest and the community's best interest," Police Chief Bob Sterba said of the ordinance. "Lock them up."

What the Ordinance Requires

The village looked at several towns that currently have ordinances to help determine what would work well in New Lenox.

This ordinance would apply to any future gun shops, but also impact Downrange Sports. That business owner will be given some time to comply and likely exempt from a requirement that exterior walls must be of made masonry construction. The ordinance also requires that:

  • All exterior entrance points and windows must be gated or barred when the building is unoccupied. That protection may not be mounted to the building's exterior.
  • The entire interior of the building, except bathrooms, must be covered by video surveillance cameras that are kept in safe, locked places. Parking lots must also be covered, and lighting shall be supplied to ensure clear video.
  • Firearms must be stored and protected by a silent alarm that will immediately notify police.
  • Firearms must be kept in locked display cases that would need to be opened by an employee. Ammunition must also be kept somewhere not available to customers without an employee's assistance.
  • No guns may be displayed where they could be visible to someone outside the building while a business is closed. A safe must be provided on site that is large enough to fit all guns during closed hours.

Downrange currently has an alarm system, but it directs to a central system before being patched over the the Lincolnway Communications Center. This ordinance requires it to immediately notify police.

"It could save anywhere from two to three minutes," Sterba said. "They're gone, driving away, before we even know about it."

Downrange also has a video surveillance system, but police have said the footage from the burglaries hasn't provided clear descriptions of the burglars. Requiring all spots to be lit and covered could help in the future.

The public safety committee, which includes Sterba and village trustees Dave Smith and Nancy Dye, were happy with the new ordinance.

"We don't want an easy mark," Smith said. "If it's easy to be broken into, it will be."

New Lenox's burglaries are part of a string of similar hits on gun shops in the Chicago suburbs, though Deputy Chief Bob Pawlisz said police aren't sure whether they're connected. Pawlisz said the department has reached out to other agencies that have had gun shop burglaries to see if there's any similarities.

Last week, police arrested four teens in connection with a Des Plaines gun shop burglary. The Lyons police called Sterba to ask about the ordinance, as they're considering something similar following a gun shop burglary there in December.


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