CPD officers warned of hand-held radio thefts from district station lobbies: internal memo

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Police have been warned to stay alert after at least seven incidents in which hand-held police radios were among items stolen from the lobbies of district stations, according to an internal memo obtained by the ABC7 I-Team.

Many in law enforcement consider their hand-held radio more important than their firearm, and fear that those radios in criminals' hands could pose a threat to public safety.

One of the seven incidents detailed in the internal CPD memo resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old alleged gang associate, who grabbed a police radio off of the 12th District's front desk and ran off. In that same incident, a 23-year-old man from Venezuela tried to obstruct police during their pursuit of the suspect and police radio.

Radios are so critical to law enforcement that the department recently spent millions of dollars to digitally scramble or encrypt radio signals, preventing non-police, including journalists, from hearing official and sensitive information in real time.

Bill Kushner, a former CPD Commander and chief of police for Des Plaines, said these radios are a lifeline for officers.

"I'd rather go out without a gun than without a radio," Kushner said.

He said there is a sizeable threat from the theft of these encrypted radios.

"A firearm can't be used in every situation," Kushner said. "However, a radio can be used to get more help, to summon an ambulance, to summon fire crews for other special needs."

According to the internal CPD memo, thefts of department radios have been reported in June, August, and September, from police headquarters in the 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 17th and 18th Districts.

In one of the more recent incidents, which took place on Monday, police said the offender attempted to steal a piece of radio equipment in the 17th District but was caught before making off with it.

Out of the six radios that were stolen, two have been recovered while four are still missing, according to the CPD bulletin.

In reviewing court records, the I-Team found that on Sept. 6, a 30-year-old alleged gang associate named Elvis Antunez was arrested after stealing a Chicago police radio from the 12th District front office and running off. Officers chased Antunez across multiple streets, "placing [officers] in danger of being struck by passing cars and buses," according to a Chicago Police report.

During that pursuit, a 23-year-old man from Venezuela named Diomedes Torres-Hidalgo allegedly tried to intervene and obstruct officers from arresting Antunez, according to court records.

Antunez was caught and charged with theft of government property while Torres-Hidalgo was charged with obstructing officers and resisting arrest. Neither suspect has entered a plea to the charges, according to the court filings.

Former Chicago Police Chief of Detectives Gene Roy told the I-Team while some radios have been recovered, those still missing with either run out of batteries or will be remotely deactivated.

"It's going to be a huge undertaking," Roy said. "It's going to be a disruption because you can't re-encrypt one radio, you have to re-encrypt the whole system."

In an emailed statement, Chicago Police told the I-Team the department is, "taking this matter seriously and investigating thoroughly."

"These radios are an important tool for emergency communication and public safety," CPD said. "Anytime a CPD radio is reported missing, the Department can remotely disable it."