From the campaign of State Rep. Martin McLaughlin:
Downtown Chicago Crime Reaches Bucolic Barrington
Barrington, IL — Cook Street in downtown Barrington is a quiet, tranquil, family-centered area where residents gather with their children, walk their dogs, and support local small businesses.
It has long been the very definition of a safe, close-knit community. That sense of security was violently shattered early yesterday morning.
At approximately 5:00 a.m., a group of criminals carried out a smash-and-grab burglary at a retail boutique on Cook Street.
While, thankfully, no individuals were physically injured, the store was nearly wiped out of its merchandise—devastating a small business and shaking the entire community. Video of the incident has been reported by WGN.
Make no mistake, this was a professional criminal operation that cleared out 85% of the store inventory in under one minute.
They don’t teach that class at Barrington High School and it is not learned behavior on the streets in our village.
Suburban communities and small businesses will now have to bear the financial burden of failed state policies that have created a negative climate for public safety
This kind of organized criminal activity has plagued downtown Chicago for years.
Now, as a direct result of failed and lenient policies toward crime and repeat offenders pushed by progressive Democrats in Springfield and Chicago, that lawlessness has spilled into suburban communities like Barrington. This is unacceptable.
The message sent by these policies is clear: criminals face fewer consequences, while law-abiding families and small business owners are left to pay the price. No town—no matter how peaceful or well-policed—is immune when accountability is abandoned.
Barrington residents have every right to be outraged that policies driven by political ideology rather than public safety have allowed this to happen here.
I encourage all business owners to take necessary steps to protect themselves, their employees, and their customers.
At the same time, Illinois must immediately return to common-sense law enforcement, meaningful consequences for criminal behavior, and leadership that puts public safety first.
Anyone with information related to this crime is urged to contact local law enforcement. We must stand together to protect our businesses, our families, and the character of our community.
