Oak Brook’s recent investment in technology to help fight crime and keep the village safe paid off in a big way Thursday.
That technology allowed Oak Brook police to be proactively ready Thursday afternoon when a vehicle that had been involved in a robbery at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg was detected by an automated license plate reader at Route 83 and 16th Street in Oak Brook.
Deputy Police Chief Reid Foltyniewicz said the license plate reader alerted Oak Brook police about 2:10 p.m. Thursday of the vehicle being seen. Schaumburg police had put out information about the offending vehicle.
“We responded to Oakbrook Center to search for the offending vehicle when we observed it ramming a car in front of them at the exit to 22nd Street from the outer ring road,” Foltyniewicz said. “We pursued the offender, who rammed our police vehicle, before being stopped on Southbound Interstate 294, near Ogden Avenue.”
DuPage County Judge Brian Jacobs granted the State’s motion Friday to deny pretrial release for Jaquan Wilkins, 28 of the 1000 block of East 101st Street, Chicago, who was charged with one count of Illegal Possession of a Firearm (Class 3 Felony), one count of Criminal Damage to State Supported Property (Class 3 Felony), one count of Aggravated Fleeing and Eluding (Class 4 Felony) and one count of Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Class 4 Felony).
Both Oak Brook and Hinsdale police were involved in stopping the suspect.
“The most important thing is that no one was hurt or injured,” Foltyniewicz said. “The second-most crucial aspect is Oak Brook recovered the gun and took the offender into custody.”
Village Manager Greg Summers was very pleased that Oak Brook police were able to use their increased technology, in the license plate readers, to a large benefit.
“We avoided someone with a gun coming into our mall,” Village Manager Greg Summers said.
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Automated license plate readers were installed for use in 2022 in eight of Oak Brook’s subdivisions, with a 50/50 program initiated by the village, allowing for a shared cost with residents of those subdivisions. The village put up an additional seven plate readers on village owned roadways and purchased a mobile license plate reader/video surveillance trailer along with hand held GPS launchers to help safely track vehicles that flee, Police Chief Brian Strockis said.
“We are going to keep our schools safe, our residential area’s safe and our business community safe,” he said.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.