The police chiefs from Hickory Hills and Palos Hills agree that technology has been an asset in solving crimes.
However, the two police officials also want to point out that there is another factor in making communities safer.
It is the public that makes the communities safer, they said.
Hickory Hills Chief Adam Gulczynski and Palos Hills Chief Jeff Cucio both presented an update on their cities during the Hills Chamber of Commerce Police Luncheon held Feb. 11 at the Hickory Hills Country Club.
Cucio, who has been a member of the police force for 26 years, said that implementing license plate readers has been a boost in apprehending offenders.
“They are not perfect but they do help,” Cucio told the business leaders in attendance.
“We had a robbery occur at 103rd and Harlem and we were able to track them into Canada. An arrest was made when they arrived back in the U.S.”
Cucio added that it was the fact they were able to track the suspects with the license plate readers and were able to communicate with other municipalities that allowed the police to close in. The introduction of this technology allows police departments to communicate with each other almost instantly, the two chiefs said.
Both police chiefs said that the license plate readers systems are used in both cities and the information is shared.
“You have this technology,” Cucio said. “We have it so we work together.”
Gulczynski said technology has made both departments more efficient and allows them to focus on leads.
“It has been a game-changer,” Gulczynski said.
But Cucio added that while technological advances have allowed police officers to track criminals and share more data, support from residents is crucial in solving crimes.
“We would like to hear from people more frequently,” Cucio said. “You can call about speeders or even if a coyote is in the backyard. I mean that is OK. We want to hear from you more often.”
Gulczynski, who has been a member of the police force for 21 years, said that crime patterns develop over time. He mentioned that there has been an increase in groups of offenders breaking into businesses and stealing money from video gaming machines.
“This has been happening more frequently and we need people to call us,” Gulczynski said. “Never be afraid to call the police.”
Cucio added that they check on all phone calls. While some of them may result in false alarms, calls from residents when they see something unusual could prevent a crime.
“We check gas stations, schools and local businesses throughout the day,” Cucio said. “The public who call the police are a great help.”
Both chiefs said that with added technology and an involved public makes their jobs a little easier. Cucio said that public involvement keeps the communities of Hickory Hills and Palos Hills safer.
“Our doors are always open and the phones are always on,” Gulczynski said.
I have been a Palos Hills resident for 17 years. I have a nextdoor neighbor who’s been harassing my family and the surrounding neighbors for years. He’s blasting two different radios outside in his backyard every single day all year round, when asked to turn it down, he starts cursing and turns it up even more, leaving it on even during the night. My family has been calling the police many times, we reported him for stalking us and harassing us. Nothing. The police is li laughing in my face and telling me “We all have neighbors like that”, or “He turns it down we we arrive”, or when we called at 2 in the morning that they couldn’t hear it on the street. I don’t live or sleep on the street. My family and I live in fear and constant stress, being traumatized for years. The police don’t care and refuse to give him a ticket or a written warning. He has unknown number of dogs he is abusing and doesn’t clean after. The unhealthy conditions of his covered in weeds and dogs’ excrements yard are a health hazard for my family. Again, police don’t care. So, no, they don’t want to hear from us. They laugh at us and treat us as criminals while protecting the actual criminals.
Loud music is a civil infraction that can result in nothing more but a fine. Simply put, there’s not much Palos (other any other municipality) can do.
As far as stalking? First you should familiarize yourself with the state statue, and next instead of calling the police, go to Palos PD and file a police report. Stalking is very difficult to prove, so disregard any emotional arguements and have some form of evidence (video, independent witnesses, etc.)
Good luck!