On October 28, 2026, FOX 32 Chicago reported on how Cook County sheriff’s investigators are going after cargo theft, and it covers a part of the problem that many site managers do not think about: the theft does not end when the goods leave the dock. Investigators follow the merchandise to the businesses and buyers suspected of putting it back on the market. You can read the full report here: Following the money: Inside Cook County crackdown on cargo theft, stolen goods (FOX 32 Chicago).
What the report describes
The story follows a sheriff’s investigation that began with a tip from a national retailer and led to a search of a store in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood. Investigators say stolen goods can be mixed in with legitimate stock so they are harder to trace, and they describe cargo theft as something that keeps changing as criminals use more sophisticated methods.
The report also points to a few different ways cargo goes missing. In one case, a thermal drone helped investigators find people who had hit several shipping containers after midnight. In another, a freight container near 18th Street and Western Avenue was broken into and the contents of its boxes were left strewn around the back of it. And in some cases the thieves never touch a lock at all. They get into shipping systems and fraudulently redirect whole shipments.
What this means for Chicago warehouses, yards and lots
The break-in cases in that report happen in the dark hours, at yards, docks and parking areas where containers and trailers sit. Those are the places a guard on site can make the biggest difference. A guard walking patrol rounds overnight sees an open gate, a trailer that has been moved, or a vehicle that does not belong, and can act on it right then instead of finding out the next morning.
Some of the practical things a guard presence covers at a warehouse or freight site:
- Overnight shifts and patrol rounds around the building, the dock doors, the trailer yard and the fence line.
- Checking drivers and visitors in and out at the gate, and keeping a log of who came and went.
- Watching trailers and containers that are parked and waiting to be loaded or picked up.
- A daily shift report, so the site manager can see what happened on each shift.
For a closer look at how this works for distribution centers, terminals and industrial properties, see our warehouse and industrial security page. If your trucks and trailers stay in a lot overnight, our parking lot security page explains how we cover open lots and yards.
One honest note: a guard does not stop a fraudulent shipment redirect, which happens through shipping and booking systems. That part comes down to your own verification steps and your carriers. What a guard does cover is the physical side: the gate, the dock, the yard and the cargo itself.
Holiday season cargo theft: what warehouse and terminal managers should check now
The weeks around the holidays are a harder time to protect freight. In its year-end holiday advisory last December, Verisk CargoNet, which tracks reported cargo theft in the U.S. and Canada, said holiday closures, reduced staffing and freight sitting longer than usual can create openings for thieves (CargoNet 2025 holiday advisory).
Its five-year review of the Dec. 23 to Jan. 2 window found Illinois among the top four states for reported events, with 32.
The most recent numbers are also worth a look. Verisk CargoNet estimated cargo theft losses of $304.6 million in the second quarter of 2026, more than double the $135.7 million estimated for the same quarter of 2025, even though reported incidents fell 26 percent (Verisk CargoNet Q2 2026 report). In other words, there were fewer thefts, but the losses were bigger.
A holiday checklist for your site
Go through these before the holiday rush, with your site manager and your security provider:
- Match post orders to staffing. Look at what the guard on each shift is supposed to do: watch the gate, walk the yard, check the dock doors. If one person cannot do all of it at once, decide which comes first.
- Define gate and camera duties. Decide whether the guard watches the cameras continuously, checks them at set times, or acts when an alarm goes off. These are three different jobs, so say which one you want.
- Verify pickups with contacts you already know. Before a driver takes a load, confirm the pickup by calling a phone number you already have on file, not one from the email, text or caller ID that asked for the pickup. CargoNet gives this same advice. Decide who at the site makes that call.
- Keep the records. Save gate logs, pickup approvals and camera video. If something goes wrong, these show who came and went and when.
What our guards do at warehouses and terminals
Our guards work overnight shifts and patrol rounds around the building, dock doors, trailer yard and fence line. They check drivers and visitors in and out at the gate and keep a log of who came and went. They keep an eye on trailers and containers that are parked and waiting, and they send a daily shift report so you can see what happened on each shift.
If your site will be closed or short-staffed over the holidays, we can add guard shifts for those days on request.
As noted above, a guard does not stop a fraudulent shipment redirect, which happens through shipping and booking systems. Pickup verification stays with your team and your carriers.
For more on how this works at distribution centers, terminals and industrial properties, see our warehouse and industrial security guards page. To talk through holiday coverage, Call or Text 630-212-8938, 24/7.
Choosing unarmed or armed guards
Most warehouse and yard sites do well with unarmed security guards who patrol, control access and report. For assignments that call for it, we also provide armed security guards. We are licensed and bonded. The right choice depends on the site, what is stored there and what has happened nearby, and we are glad to talk it through with you.
Retail theft is part of the same picture
The FOX 32 report treats cargo theft and retail theft as two ends of the same problem, because the goods taken from a container are often sold again through stores. If you manage a store, see our page on retail security and loss prevention. For a look at what has been happening to local businesses, read our roundup of reported Chicago business break-ins.
Where we work
Valle Services has 45 years in business and provides security guards in Chicago and all suburbs. You can see the towns and neighborhoods we cover on our Areas We Serve page. If you are weighing what a guard program costs, our security guard cost guide for Chicago walks through what affects the price.
Call or Text 630-212-8938, 24/7
