More than 100 attend meeting to address recent shootings in Streator

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, 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.

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.

“I think it’s clear that we have some underlying issues with drugs here in Streator and with that comes the violence that we’ve experienced recently,” Franklin said. “We’re aware of that and taking the necessary steps.”

Franklin commended the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Narcotics Team, the region’s drug task force, for its recent search warrant activity in Streator to address drug trafficking.

“Tri-DENT has executed a whole lot of search warrants here. We’ve probably seen more in the past year than in the last 10 years,” Franklin said. “They’ve knocked down a lot of doors recently and put criminals on notice that it’s not business as usual for them here in Streator.”

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’s attorney’s office operate.

The SAFE-T Act, enacted in late 2022, looked to reform Illinois’ criminal justice system by eliminating cash bail and changing how certain charges are handled.

“One good thing that our state’s attorney’s office has done for us in these gun charges is that they are detaining people,” Wood said. “We 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’s essentially no more bond for some people. If there is a citation, they’re released back on the streets. They reoffend, then they go see a judge, and it’s up to a judge whether they are released or not.”

“It’s a battle we’re all fighting, something we’re all still getting used to. But like I said, our state’s attorney’s office is doing everything they can to make sure these people are detained and stay behind bars pending trial.”

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.

“We had an active Neighborhood Watch in Streator for many years, and it worked because people volunteered their time,” Pettit said. “The problem today is that people aren’t willing to do that anymore, and as a result, the Neighborhood Watch doesn’t exist in Streator because community involvement for it has fizzled to zero.”

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.

“We have work to do, if there are groups here that would be interested in creating a Neighborhood Watch. I’ll have a sign in sheet here or if you want to reach out to City Hall after, let’s start to look at getting that back together because it could really make a difference,” Bedei said.

Several city and county officials attended the meeting, including representatives from the La Salle County State’s Attorney’s Office.

La Salle County Assistant State’s Attorney Jason Goode spoke about the recent violence in Streator, sharing his personal connection as a lifelong resident.

“In 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,” Goode said. “That’s why we’re here tonight. We realize how proud you are of this city. You’re 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’s what we’re going to do.”

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/ to assist police. The registration page includes information on the program.

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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)