Public Works and Police Reports Highlight Winter Operations and Crime Trends

By Andrea Arens

Peotone department heads provided updates at the recent Village Board meeting, including reports on winter operations and year-end police activity.

Public Works Director Bob Hennke reported that crews have been operating in continuous snow-plowing mode following repeated winter storms. While some streets remain snow-covered, Hennke emphasized that they have been salted.

“The issue has been temperatures and lack of traffic,” Hennke said, noting that recent sunlight has helped melt roadways and that conditions will continue to improve as temperatures rise.

In addition to plowing, public works crews have been trimming trees along flower routes and continuing winter maintenance projects.

Police Chief Dave DeMik presented year-end statistics for the Peotone Police Department, highlighting both improvements and areas of concern. According to DeMik, crimes against people decreased significantly compared to the previous year.

However, reported burglaries increased, largely due to a single night in which seven burglaries occurred, each counted as a separate incident.

DeMik also noted that the department is tracking outstanding fines sent to collections and plans to provide updated figures at a future meeting, including how much has been recovered since the board approved the collections process.

A raffle license for Tractors for a Cure, for 5 or more raffles per calendar year, along with accounts payable and payroll were unanimously approved.