W E D N E S D A Y
March 15, 2023 Vol. 43, No. 33
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@wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL @oakpark
of Oak Park and River Forest
Leaf blowers banned! Page 8
Chief asks village to hold police accountable Johnson delivers annual public safety report By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter
Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson committed to police department accountability in her annual public safety report, presented during the board’s March 13 meeting. She also asked that the village and the public continue to hold police accountable. “My philosophy on policing is to build officers up, to hold them accountable, and to make sure we continue the rich tradition that started long before I even started, which was built on community policing,” Johnson said. The public safety report was far more comprehensive and detailed than past public safety reports, lasting roughly two hours and covering everything from the department being short-staffed by 22 officers to implementing police consultant recommendations and using police body cameras, which the department will have next month. The department will likewise have in-car cameras by the end of 2023. The report contained a bevy of statistics, including the police department’s removal of 78 firearms from the community and an increase in crime of 11% from 2021 to 2022, the driving factor being motor vehicle thefts. TikTok videos showing how easy it is to steal certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles have caused a major
ENOUGH!
Hundreds of students walked out last Friday to protest the high school’s reported culture of harassment REPORT BY AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ, PAGE 20
See PUBLIC SAFETY on page 16 AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ
Explore our complete election guide beginning on page 23