Recent Criminal Activity

The Carpentersville Police requests that all Neighborhood Watch groups be aware of recent criminal damage to property incidents/gang graffiti occurring in town.  We ask that all residents be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police by calling 911. 

For further information about these incidents or to learn how to start a Neighborhood Watch Program in your neighborhood contact Community Resource Officer Ken Cram.

Community Resource Officer Ken Cram offers the following Crime Prevention tips:

• Close your garage door each night before you go to bed.
• Secure all vehicles parked outside overnight, locking the doors and removing any valuable items from inside the car.
• Residents who have firearms in their homes can request a gun lock from the Carpentersville Police Department to secure the firearm at no cost (while supplies last).
• When going on vacation, remember to fill out a “Vacation Check” form at the Carpentersville Police Department so your home can be checked daily.

Tips to Avoid Home Repair Fraud

The Village cannot recommend a particular contractor, so it is important that residents take the right steps to reduce the risks of fraud. Please keep the following items in mind when contemplating hiring a contractor for home repair, remodeling work, or any type of construction activity:

• Ask for proof of insurance, local references, and to see the contractor’s license issued by the Village of Carpentersville.
• Get more than one estimate and get them in writing. Don’t fall for high pressure sales tactics and prices that seem “too good to be true.”
• Inspect the contract carefully. Check to see that it includes:
• The contractor’s full name, address, and telephone number
• A detailed description of the work to be performed
• The starting and estimated completion dates
• Total cost for work performed including charges for estimates, and
• The schedule and method of payment including down payment, subsequent payments, and final payment.
• DO NOT make subsequent or final payments until you are satisfied with the work.
• DO NOT make the final payment until you get lien waivers. This protects you from claims against you or your property in the event a general contractor fails to pay subcontractors or material suppliers.
• Do not sign a contract that has blank spaces or that you do not understand.
• Find out whether the contractor guarantees his or her work and products.
• Remember, you have three business days to cancel any contract if the sale is made and signed at your home. The contractor CANNOT take this right away from you by initiating work, selling your contract to a lender, or any other tactic. The following are typical examples of home repair rip-off schemes:
• Unsolicited door-to-door salespeople with no local connections offer to do home repair work for substantially less than market price.
• A company which lists only a telephone or post-office box number solicits for repair work.
• Someone offers to inspect your home for free, especially if they have no authentic identification establishing their business status.
• A contractor demands cash payment and/or full payment before they complete a job.
• A contractor asks for a check payable to a third party.
• A contractor offers to drive the homeowner to his/her bank to withdraw funds to pay for their work.

Top 10 Tips for Wireless Networking Security

1. Change your password — Always make sure you change any passwords that are supplied with your product.   These are very well known to hackers.   Remember, ‘password’ is not a password. MOST IMPORTANTLY, DON’T PUT YOUR PASSWORD ON A POST-IT!!!
2. Get your encryption on — WPA or WEP are just two of the encryptions methods that permit you to secure all the connections made to your wireless or wi-fi network.   This prevents others from connecting and also prevents them from accessing the data you transmit on your wireless network.
3. Change, change, change… — Make sure you change settings like SSID (the name of your network) which are set by the manufacturer.   A default setting like the SSID is also a red flag to people that your network is not secured.
4. Use filters — Every computer you use, even your cellphone, has something called a physical network address referred to as a MAC.   Almost every wireless access point or router has an option to permit you to filter by MAC address.   This helps you to limit your network to the specific computers you own and use.
5. Don’t broadcast — Most wireless access points and routers will broadcast the network name (the SSID I mentioned before).   This is an easy setting to turn off.   Keep in mind, though that your PC won’t ‘see’ the network now, but if you can’t see it neither can others.
6. Practice safe wi-fi — Your own computer can be at risk, especially for laptop users.   Make sure you turn off any feature that will ‘auto-connect’ your computer to available networks.   Remember, if you can connect to something on a different network, somebody can connect to you.
7. Get fixed — If you have a very small network with just 1 or 2 computers, you may want to put a fixed IP address on your computer and turn-off the DHCP service which gives that same information to computers trying to connect to your network.
8. Put up some walls — Always have your wireless access point or router’s firewall features turned on.   You should also install a personal firewall on your computer to add an additional layer of protection.
9. Location is key — Wireless signals from your home’s network can and do extend outside your walls.   Try to keep your wireless access point closest to the center of your house to both give you optimum reception inside your house and reduced signal range outside your house.
10. When all else fails, turn it off — Sometimes the best solutions are the simplest.   If you’re not home, or not using your network for extended periods of time, just turn off your wireless access point.   It normally doesn’t have moving parts like your computer’s hard disk.

Contact Information

Officer Ken Cram, Community Resource Officer
Email: KCram@vil.carpentersville.il.us