Oak Lawn police made a couple of arrests after being contacted about acts of graffiti that occurred at the Metra Railway Patriot Station and other locations in the village.
Trustee Alex Olejniczak (2nd), who served as mayor pro tempore for Terry Vorderer who could not attend the Oak Lawn Village Board meeting Tuesday morning, made a point of mentioning the arrests and had a warning for other perpetrators in the future.
“If you come to Oak Lawn and commit a crime, you will be caught,” Olejniczak said.
Several incidents of graffiti were reported on Feb. 12 to the Oak Lawn Police Department, the Metra Railway Patriot Station specifically. Oak Lawn police detectives gathered evidence that led to the arrests of two male juveniles on Friday at a residence in Chicago, according to reports.
Charges included criminal defacement of property, criminal damage to government-supported property (the Metra parking tower), and possession of ammunition without a firearm owner’s ID (FOID) card.
“This is a fine example of police using technology to solve a crime,” Olejniczak said. “I see that drones are being used and that has helped.”
Trustee Paul Mallo (3rd) mentioned that police deserve the credit for making these arrests but added that a resident had contacted the village with photos he had taken. Mallo said this helped in the arrest of the juveniles.
Police Chief Daniel Vittorio said that residents who have Ring and Blink cameras can be of great assistance to the department when they share their videos. While the police are not allowed to directly monitor these cameras, residents can make the department aware that they have these devices.
Vittorio added that if police are aware that specific residents have these cameras, they can contact them to assist in sharing video if a crime occurs in their neighborhoods.
“Even if you don’t want to sign up for this, you can still send video to us,” Vittorio added.
Village Manager Tom Phelan reminded everyone in attendance that the village website is updated and much of this information is available.
Supporting Lions Club
Frank Kirar, a member of the Oak Lawn Lions Club, reminded the board and residents that the annual District 1A Helen Keller 5K Run and Walk will be held Sunday, April 26, beginning at Richards High School, 10601 S. Central Ave. The run and walk will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will go through the Wolfe Wildlife Refuge Center and back to the high school.
Online registration is being offered at www.raceroster.com/114872.
The annual event helps to provide the Oak Lawn Lions Clubs, which was first chartered in 1939, with funding for eyeglasses and hearing aids for those people in need.
“All I’m asking you to do is to support us,” said Kirar, an Oak Lawn resident since 1968. “The money we raise helps people in this community and all around the world.”
Early voting
Village Clerk Claire Henning said that early voting will begin Monday, March 2, at the Oak Lawn Library, 9427 S. Raymond Ave. Voting will be offered the first week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
through Saturday, March 7. Early voting will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 8.
Early voting will continue from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, through Friday, March 13. Voting will also take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 14, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 15.
The final day of early voting will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 16. The Gubernatorial Primary election will be held Tuesday, March 17.