{"id":7242,"date":"2025-02-14T15:12:22","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T15:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=7242"},"modified":"2025-02-14T15:12:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T15:12:22","slug":"more-than-100-attend-meeting-to-address-recent-shootings-in-streator-shaw-local-news-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=7242","title":{"rendered":"More than 100 attend meeting to address recent shootings in Streator – Shaw Local News Network"},"content":{"rendered":"


Deputy Police Chief Robert Wood (left) speaks Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, as Police Chief John Franklin looks on at a special Streator meeting. <\/span>(Bill Freskos)
More than 100 Streator<\/a> residents gathered Tuesday at City Hall for a public meeting to discuss the concerns about and potential solutions to the recent surge in gun violence in the area.
Since the beginning of October, Streator police have responded to at least five separate calls of shots fired, most resulting in property damage and one injury \u2013 including gunfire reports Saturday, Oct. 5<\/a>; Sunday, Oct. 6<\/a>; and Thursday<\/a>.
Streator Police Chief John Franklin and Deputy Chief Robert Wood attended the meeting and told residents that a majority of the shootings likely are linked to drug trafficking problems in the area.
\u201cI think it\u2019s clear that we have some underlying issues with drugs here in Streator and with that comes the violence that we\u2019ve experienced recently,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cWe\u2019re aware of that and taking the necessary steps.\u201d
Franklin commended the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team, the region\u2019s drug task force, for its recent search warrant activity in Streator to address drug trafficking.
\u201cTri-DENT has executed a whole lot of search warrants here. We\u2019ve probably seen more in the past year than in the last 10 years,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cThey\u2019ve knocked down a lot of doors recently and put criminals on notice that it\u2019s not business as usual for them here in Streator.\u201d
Franklin said that a contributing factor in the ongoing problems is the lack of surveillance in certain neighborhoods after a shooting occurs. He said the police have been working to address this by installing eight Flock cameras around town, with plans to add three more within the next year.
Flock cameras typically are made by Flock Safety, an American manufacturer and operator of automated license place recognition technology, video surveillance and gunfire detection systems. Its cameras monitor and photograph the rear ends of passing vehicles, and then use artificial intelligence technology to read license plates and other distinguishing marks. The information then is sent to a central network that compares the results with others throughout the U.S.
Another issue mentioned by Deputy Chief Robert Wood was the SAFE-T Act and its impact on the way that the police and state\u2019s attorney\u2019s office operate.
The SAFE-T Act, enacted in late 2022, looked to reform Illinois\u2019 criminal justice system by eliminating cash bail and changing how certain charges are handled.
\u201cOne good thing that our state\u2019s attorney\u2019s office has done for us in these gun charges is that they are detaining people,\u201d Wood said. \u201cWe face a lot of difficulties with the SAFE-T Act. For a lot of you, you might not understand what the laws are, but there\u2019s essentially no more bond for some people. If there is a citation, they\u2019re released back on the streets. They reoffend, then they go see a judge, and it\u2019s up to a judge whether they are released or not.\u201d
\u201cIt\u2019s a battle we\u2019re all fighting, something we\u2019re all still getting used to. But like I said, our state\u2019s attorney\u2019s office is doing everything they can to make sure these people are detained and stay behind bars pending trial.\u201d
Streator resident and former Neighborhood Watch leader Toni Pettit emphasized the importance of the Neighborhood Watch program, explaining that in these violent times, Streator could benefit from that volunteer service once again.
\u201cWe had an active Neighborhood Watch in Streator for many years, and it worked because people volunteered their time,\u201d Pettit said. \u201cThe problem today is that people aren\u2019t willing to do that anymore, and as a result, the Neighborhood Watch doesn\u2019t exist in Streator because community involvement for it has fizzled to zero.\u201d
The idea of reviving the Neighborhood Watch resonated not only with the community members at the meeting but also with city officials, including Franklin and Mayor Tara Bedei.
\u201cWe have work to do, if there are groups here that would be interested in creating a Neighborhood Watch. I\u2019ll have a sign in sheet here or if you want to reach out to City Hall after, let\u2019s start to look at getting that back together because it could really make a difference,\u201d Bedei said.
Several city and county officials attended the meeting, including representatives from the La Salle County State\u2019s Attorney\u2019s Office.
La Salle County<\/a> Assistant State\u2019s Attorney Jason Goode spoke about the recent violence in Streator, sharing his personal connection as a lifelong resident.
\u201cIn my past life, I was a youth baseball coach and had the opportunity to coach many kids from Streator. There was a certain toughness and pride you could see in them about their town that I always noticed and respected,\u201d Goode said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re here tonight. We realize how proud you are of this city. You\u2019re all shoulder to shoulder in this room because you care, and we want to show you that we care. We believe in this town; it is worth saving, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d
Bedei said the city plans to have another town hall meeting in the next few months to address further concerns and continue the conversation.
Streator residents can register their home security cameras at https:\/\/ci.streator.il.us\/<\/a> to assist police. The registration page includes information on the program.
Deputy Police Chief Robert Wood (left) speaks Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, as Police Chief John Franklin looks on at a special Streator meeting. <\/span>(Bill Freskos)
Copyright \u00a9 2023 Shaw Local News Network
Copyright \u00a9 2023 Shaw Local News Network<\/p>\n

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Deputy Police Chief Robert Wood (left) speaks Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, as Police Chief John Franklin looks on at a special Streator meeting. (Bill Freskos)More than 100 Streator residents gathered Tuesday at City Hall for a public meeting to discuss the concerns about and potential solutions to the recent surge in gun violence in the area.Since the beginning of October,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t