Dear River Forest Residents ,
River Forest has prided itself on being a safe community, a well-protected community. The Board of Trustees and I live here; we all care about what happens here. That is why we made your safety and security one of our highest priorities - that pledge will continue to be the case for years to come.
And like all of you, we have been noticeably concerned and disturbed about the rash of crimes that have occurred in the region – Chicago, Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Elmwood Park and in DuPage County towns such as Elmhurst. And, of course, right here in River Forest.
We, too, have experienced carjackings. Our most recent incident happened just before 6 p.m. on Friday in the 500 block of Monroe. This is the first in the last few months. As you know, a carjacking occurs when someone steals a car while someone is still in it. A motor vehicle theft takes place while a car is parked or when the engine is left running.
Between November 1 and January 18, we have had two carjackings and two motor vehicle thefts. To put this into perspective, in our surrounding communities, Elmwood Park has had 7 incidents; Forest Park 27 and Oak Park 32. Of course, one incident is too many.
We also have had break-ins. In recent weeks we had a repeat burglary on the 900 block of Franklin, and I am pleased to report that our police officers made an arrest over the weekend of the offenders who were part of, we believe, those recent residential burglaries. I applaud the work of our police officers, detectives and command staff. We have a dedicated group of officers that is working around the clock to protect YOU and our community.
I’d like to fill you in on what we have done and what we plan to do to keep River Forest safe:
- We will work with a regional task force, West Suburban Enhanced Drug and Gang Enforcement, or WEDGE, to develop intelligence and locate known offenders of these incidents – many of them committed by Chicago gang members from the west and south sides of the city.
- Additional police officers will continue patrolling River Forest streets as they have over the past several weeks. Not all officers are in marked squad cars. Officers assigned to task forces drive unmarked vehicles and are in plain clothes.
- River Forest police will use technology, including automatic license plate readers and street cameras, to help solve crimes. We will soon expand our street camera system to include the Lake and Thatcher area, near the train depot.
- Plus, Police Chief James O’Shea and I will meet with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioner Silvestri in the coming days to discuss these crime issues in greater depth. The State’s Office and the County play a critical role in the criminal justice system, and we will seek additional cooperation from the County Board President and our Commissioner Peter Silvestri.
- Chief O’Shea wants residents to know that his department, along with partner agencies, will continue to use the combination of boots on the ground, intelligence gathering, and technology to prevent, identify and arrest dangerous habitual criminals who choose to commit crimes in River Forest.
- In partnership with the community, our police department will protect our village.
- We will continue to put out special email alerts about incidents as they happen in our community and post them on Facebook and the Village website. I urge you to sign up for special alerts by going to the E-News & Alert Page on our website. To read crime prevention tips every driver should know to avoid being a carjacking victim, please click here. For tips on burglary prevention, please click here.
We will continue to budget adequate resources and provide police with the tools it needs to tackle these issues. If we need more resources and technology, I assure you, this board and I will provide the funding for them.
Therefore, the trustees and I and entire staff want to assure you that you will be safe. We will work continuously for your safety. We ask for your help. Be vigilant. Remember to always lock your doors, activate your alarm systems and call 911 in the event you see something suspicious.
Consider coming to our first Community Crime Prevention Meeting on Wednesday, January 24th at 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM in the River Forest Village Hall Community Room. The idea for this meeting came at the request of residents seeking to learn more information and become more involved in assisting the River Forest Police Department prevent, stop, and solve crime. If you would like to receive a copy of the agenda or be placed on a mailing list for future meetings, contact Ofc. Glen Czernik at gczernik@vrf.
Finally, everyone around the Board table cares about our community, and our families and their safety. I continue to urge you that…. if you see something, say something. Remember, it takes a village to have a safe village.
Regards,
Cathy Adduci
Village President