2 cars parked in front of Burberry’s store on the mile are said to be a crime prevention tactic – CBS Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) – This is not something you usually see on Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile. Two cars were parked on the sidewalk in front of a luxury store.
In a crime prevention tactic, one photo shows two cars parked on Burberry’s Michigan Avenue sidewalk, blocking the entrance during rush hour.
Burberry was targeted by thieves twice in two days to start the new year.
These incidents are among the a series of retail criminals targeting high-end stores on the Mag Mile and in suburban shopping malls.
Rob Karr is the president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. Although he said he was aware of Burberry’s concerns about crime, he did not speak to the outlet about specific tactics. But he said he was not surprised.
“I think it speaks to the fact that they feel, rightly or wrongly, they feel a little bit here and they need to take measures, whatever measures they can to protect themselves,” he said. Rob Karr, President and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
CBS 2’s Jackie Kostek visited Mag Mile, where she spoke to employees in the Coach store who said they had seen cars parked outside the Burberry’s entrance for the past few nights.
While Burberry has not responded to a request for comment, the Chicago Department of Transportation, the agency responsible for managing the city’s sidewalks, said Wednesday that it was not aware of cars parked outside Burberry after hours. work and will send inspectors.
A spokesman said there is no CDOT permit allowing such sidewalk parking. Chicago police would not confirm or deny their knowledge, only replying that, “for safety reasons, we do not discuss patrol or deployment strategy.”
CBS 2 reached out to the mayor’s and hawker’s offices and received no response.
Karr of the retail merchants association said he will continue to talk with city leaders about how to better protect businesses. Because as he says, retail theft is devastating for everyone.
MORE NEWS: Illinois to receive $1.4 billion in federal funds to fix bridges, other infrastructure problems
“Every time an item is stolen, there is an uncollected sales tax on that item. And retailers are the largest source of sales tax revenue for local governments and the second largest for the state. Those helpers fund the services we all rely on so that we are all victims,” Karr said.
