Exterior views of a City of Chicago Warehouse, where copper coils were stolen. (Sun-Times)
The warehouse at 940 W. Exchange should be one of the most secure municipal buildings in Chicago.
Not only is it home base for city crews that install and maintain security systems at local government facilities, it’s outfitted with surveillance cameras and an alarm.
So, how could four spools of copper-lined industrial power cable that weigh more than 1,000 pounds apiece disappear in March in a still-unsolved theft?
Turns out the building’s alarm system was on the fritz at the time, and many of the security cameras weren’t working, several sources told the Better Government Association.
The interior of the city warehouse, where equipment and materials are often left unsecured. (BGA)
What’s more, the cable (worth at least $20,000) had been left out—and wasn’t kept inside a locked storage area like it was supposed to be, the sources said.
The city’s inspector general now is investigating, and exploring the possibility that the heist was an inside job, the sources said.
Among the city employees questioned by investigators: a man who was interviewed about a separate theft of cable at O’Hare Airport years ago.
The BGA is not naming the man because he has not been charged with a crime, but he confirmed to the BGA that he was questioned in both instances. He denied involvement.
Officials with the inspector general’s office and the City of Chicago’s Department of General Services, which operates the warehouse in the old stockyards area of the South Side, wouldn’t comment.
The cable that was stolen was lined with copper and coated with rubber. It presumably was stolen for the value of the copper, which has been a popular target of thieves in recent years.
Sources familiar with the situation said a forklift and truck surely would have been needed to make off with the electrical cable.
Security has since been beefed up, sources said. But theft has been a problem there in the past, one employee told the BGA.
“You might use the copy machine and make a personal copy, who cares,” the employee said. But, referring to the cable disappearing, he added: “This is just like, ridiculous. Totally ridiculous.”
This story was reported and written by BGA Senior Investigator Patrick Rehkamp and BGA Sophia Bairaktaris. They can be reached at (312) 386-9201, or at prehkamp@bettergov.org.
This BGA investigation was published in the weekend Chicago Sun-Times
Unanswered Questions: Sun-Times Watchdogs Probe 2004 Homicide
Screenshot from Newseum.org
The front-page story in today’s Chicago Sun-Times is a must-read, and not only because it so vividly captured the life of a 21-year-old Mount Prospect man killed in 2004 following a Rush Street scuffle.
The real power of the article is in exposing how the criminal justice system worked—or didn’t work—in this instance.
The young man who died was named David Koschman. He was out celebrating with a group of pals when they bumped into another group that included Mayor Daley’s nephew, R.J. Vanecko.
Booze had been flowing, words were exchanged and somebody in Vanecko’s entourage threw a punch. Koschman fell, hit his head and later died. Authorities said the punch was thrown in self-defense, so criminal charges were not warranted.
But there are troubling aspects to the investigation.
Consider the following details that emerged in the Sun-Times story:
We weren’t there in the wee hours of April 25, 2004, so we don’t know exactly what happened between Koschman’s group and Vanecko’s group.
But we know this: based on the Sun-Times‘s findings, it doesn’t appear this case has been handled in the most objective, professional manner.
Let’s hope this investigation is not clouded with politics and favoritism, but is driven by the pursuit of truth, regardless of what that is.
A Chicago police spokeswoman said Supt. Jody Weis is “unavailable” for comment on all of this. But she sent a statement to the BGA via email:
Subsequent “to the review of a request received by the Department under the Freedom of Information Act, the Chicago Police Department recognized the case involving the death of Mr. David Koschman was still classified as an open investigation. Given the time that had passed, the case was assigned for a review. The investigative phase is complete, and the case is expected to be closed in the coming days.”
This blog entry was reported and written by Robert Herguth, the BGA’s editor of investigations. Contact us with tips, suggestions and complaints at (312) 821-9030, or at rherguth@bettergov.org.
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Tagged as Chicago Sun-Times, Cook County state's attorney, david koschman, Dick Devine, R.J. Vanecko, Richard m. Daley