The City of Darien has received complaints from residents regarding telephone solicitations of money where the caller implies some affiliation with the Darien Police Department. The City of Darien is not affiliated in any way with these organizations. Citizens should be aware that most telephone solicitations are not made by the actual organization itself, but are contracted out to a professional fund raising company. As their compensation, professional fund-raisers often charge 80% to 90% of your contribution as a fee. The service you receive from the Darien police Department will never be affected based on your choice not to contribute to a phone solicitor claiming to represent the police department or police union. The advice from the city is to never donate any money based on a phone solicitation. If you have questions please contact City Administrator, Bryon Vana at 630-353-8114.  

Some Facts About Police and Firefighter Solicitations:
* Some police and firefighter organizations are not charitable but instead are unions or social groups that will not use your donation for charitable purposes.
* Police officers and firefighters never know you contributed.
* Any coercive statement, direct or subtle, that infers that giving is a way to get better protection or special treatment is a crime and should be reported to the respective police department, the State's Attorney and the Attorney General's office.
* Having the words "police" or "firefighter" in an organization's name does not mean police or firefighters are members of the group.
* Paid professional fund-raisers make most of the solicitations for police and firefighter organizations. Professional fund-raisers often charge 80 to 90% of your contribution as a fee

Residents are reminded to lock their cars and take or hide valuables in the trunk so they don't create an easy target for burglary and theft.  Police call most car break-ins a crime of opportunity. Criminals walk through the neighborhood and parking lots looking for items to steal with the goal of finding vehicles that are unlocked.  The large percentage of car break-ins in the Chicago metro area are done to vehicles that are unlocked. In Darien last summer, we had 56 reports of items stolen from cars. 83.9% of these incidents were to unlocked vehicles. Don't let the criminals win, lock your car doors!

The Darien Police are continuing to receive reports from residents that were either a victim of a phone scam or an attempted scam. Since January 15th, there has been 6 police reports; No reports on monetary loss. We are providing our residents with a review of the reported incidents in the hopes that no one becomes a victim.

Tax email - A resident received an e-mail from Tax1099.com to complete an online W-9 tax form online for the IRS and says the recipient can use the e-signature feature. The e-mail listed HWOA LLC as the payer and the resident would be a Contractor. Residents or their tax accountants should be the only persons who fill out tax forms. This unsolicited "official looking" notice if filled out could be used to commit identity theft. Do not respond to unsolicited offers or requests for personal or financial information.

Make Money With Apple - resident received e-mail for opportunity to make money advertising Apple product on their personal car. Subject told resident he would be paid $500. Resident received check for $2520 with instructions to mail the remainder $1,970 to an address in California.  The check is not legitimate. If the resident cashed the check, he would be responsible for full repayment to the bank. Do not deposit or cash any check received that is for an amount greater than originally stated. Contact the bank listed on the check to verify the check is legitimate. Do not respond to unsolicited offers on phone, Internet, or through mail.

Free Walmart Gas Card - resident received a phone call from subject claiming she won a Walmart gas card and would need to provide a credit card number for shipping charges. This is a scam. Once the caller has a credit card number, fraudulent charges will appear.

800 Numbers - Resident attempts to call a valid 800-like number (e.g., Edible Arrangements 877-DO-FRUIT --- i.e., 877-363-7848) but mistypes the phone number (e.g., 877-367-7848)

Scammers know that people mistype these types of "alphabet" phone numbers so the scammer buy up the 800 numbers close to the valid numbers. When a resident accidentally calls, the scammer says "We're sorry ... the call volume is so high and we appreciate your business so we'd like to offer you a free $100 Walmart gift card". Ultimately, they ask for your credit card number for shipping and handling.  

This is especially tricky is because you, the resident, placed the call. No one called you so you are not expecting to be scammed. The Darien Police Department reminds Residents to never give out account numbers unless you are positive of the company you are speaking with.

The City of Darien has recently received competitive quotes for the treatment of the Emerald Ash Borer located on private property. The recommended vendor is Tree and Turf Professionals. The treatment method consists of a licensed applicator injecting the tree with the product Treeage. For additional information regarding the treatment and general information please visit the following website: www.arborjet.com 

The tree would be drilled with a small hole(s) and larger trees will require multiple holes based on the diameter of the tree. The Treeage product is injected based on the tree diameter and sealed with a plug(s). The application is good for up to two years. The Ash tree must have a minimal 60% healthy canopy to be a candidate for the treatment. The Tree and Turf Professionals shall review each Ash tree prior to treatment. All payments shall be the responsibility of the homeowner. The contact person for Tree and Turf Professionals is Lyle McGinn at 630-759-7389 or email at lmcginn@treeandturf.com 

For more information and for pricing please visit  here.           

Driveways                    $6.95 per square foot

Sidewalks                     $4.33 per square foot

Apron w/fiber mesh       $4.47 per square foot

Curb & gutter                $13.95 per lineal foot

Sealer                          $1.25 per square foot

Resident wishing to replace their driveways should call Suburban Concrete directly at 847-837-8805, and inform them you are a Darien resident.  Suburban Concrete will invoice you for the work.

Residents wishing to replace the sidewalk, apron or depress their driveway curb should call City Hall at 630-353-8102.  The City will invoice you for this work.

The deadline to participate in this year's program is July 3.

Coyotes are a permanent fixture in DuPage County's rural, suburban and urban areas. Seeing a coyote cross a field, backyard, road or golf course does not necessarily constitute a problem or dangerous situation, either for humans or domestic animals. Coyotes will be more active and more visible in late-winter/early spring during their breeding seasons. Most coyotes are harmless; their goal is to eat more natural foods such as mice and rabbits. However, coyotes are opportunistic. If coyotes see easy food - such as open garbage- and aren't afraid, they may take advantage. That puts them in direct line for a confrontation with pets. Coyotes are not interested in eating pets, these are territorial disputes. There have been recent reports of small family dogs that were killed by coyotes in neighboring towns. Studies have shown that attempts at eliminating all coyotes are not practical, economical or workable. When coyotes are removed others quickly move in.

For more information on Coyotes you can visit the DuPage County Forest Preserve District website at www.dupageforest.com or the City of Darien  website.