Public meeting set in Streator to talk about recent wave of gun violence

Streator officials have scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday, Oct. 15, to address recent gun violence in the community.

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, including gunfire reports Saturday, Oct. 5; Sunday, Oct. 6; and Thursday.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Streator City Hall, 204 S. Bloomington St., and Mayor Tara Bedei encourages concerned residents to attend.

Streator Police Chief John Franklin said he and Deputy Chief Robert Wood will be present at the meeting to discuss details of the recent shootings and potential connections between some of the incidents.

“We encourage our residents: If you hear something or see something, please say something.”

—  Streator Police Chief John Franklin

Franklin said the police department has been actively collaborating with the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team, the region’s drug task force, to step up search warrant activity in Streator as part of efforts to address drug trafficking and the related violence.

“We do appreciate what Tri-DENT has done here,” Franklin said of the drug task force, in which Streator is a participating member. “We’ve had a lot of pickup in search warrant activity here in Streater over the past year.”

Franklin also emphasized the importance of community involvement, urging residents to report incidents promptly and to keep an eye on their surroundings.

“At times, people don’t call us for hours after they hear shots fired,” Franklin said. “We encourage our residents: If you hear something or see something, please say something.”