Mokena cops shine light on crime

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Updated: February 11, 2012 8:16AM

A popular feature in your SouthtownStar is Police Blotter, a roundup of recent police activity in our towns that’s updated regularly online and appears each Sunday in the Neighborhood Star section.

The blotter is compiled from police reports we get at police stations or, in a few cases, from police posting the news online.

But the blotter is not always as informative as we’d like. The commitment to providing such valuable information to the media — and by extension, the public — differs depending on the department.

Some departments make their reports available any time. Others impose restrictions, such as requiring an appointment with an officer. Some hold back certain reports — playing down the incidence of crime or certain types of crime, such as home burglaries or sex crimes. A few police agencies keep their residents completely in the dark by not releasing reports, which is allowed under Illinois’ freedom of information law.

All this explains why we’re glad to hear about Mokena police using CrimeReports software as both a crime-fighting tool and a way to keep residents aware of crime in their neighborhoods.

When the system starts Jan. 23, you’ll be able to log on to the CrimeReports site from the village website, www.mokena.org, for an overall picture of crime in the village or, by using a map, to get info on a specific area. Information will appear as police reports are completed, and only traffic violations not resulting in arrest will be excluded because of the large number of such incidents.

The system won’t offer as much info as the actual police report (no names or addresses; no narrative of the crime), but it’s still a helpful, innovative step for residents.

“We felt giving the community the ability and the transparency to see what’s happening ... was very important,” Police Chief Randy Rajewski said.

What a refreshing view, one with which we couldn’t agree more. More Southland police should follow Mokena’s lead.