Burglar Breaks Into Alderman's Office, Steals Tablet Computer

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A burglar stole a computer from Ald. Deb Mell's office in the Irving Park neighborhood, after smashing a the glass front door early Monday.

Someone threw a rock through the door of the alderman's office at 3001 W. Irving Park Rd. around 3:45 a.m.

A janitor was working in the back of the office at the time, and heard the loud crash of reinforced glass shattering.

The janitor ran into the front of the office and saw a man who then turn around and ran from the scene with a tablet computer that had been placed on a countertop in full view of the front window.

The burglar was last seen running away on Irving Park Road.

Mell said the tablet computer was set up in the front office so constituents in the neighborhood could check the CTA bus schedule while waiting at the bus stop in front of her office.

"We have large windows, and we have computer equipment in there. So it was something I was meaning to do, was get an alarm system," she said.

The alderman said no proprietary information was contained on the tablet. She said she doesn't think her office was targeted because of her position. She said it appeared the burglary was a crime of opportunity.

It was not immediately clear if the crime was caught on surveillance video.

Area North detectives were investigating. No one was in custody Monday morning.

In:
• Mike Puccinelli
• Burglary
• Crime
• Nancy Harty