South Cook News

Orland Park’s crime rate is continuing to drop amid “proactive policing” under the administration of Mayor Keith Pekau.

Pekau, who recently assumed his second term as mayor, said the drop in crime rates sets Orland Park apart from nearby Chicago.

“We're going to take a gun off the street proactively about once every four to five days,” Pekau told South Cook News. “Frankly, it's just outstanding police work. We’re so proactive.”

Violent crime is up overall in Chicago and Cook County.

The Chicagoland area has gained a bad reputation worldwide for regular reports of shoplifting sprees and carjackings.  

Meanwhile Orland Park’s crime rate has seen a stark decrease.

The Village of Orland Park is home to over 58,000 people but may be having an outsized impact on the broader area.  

“The crime in Orland Park was at the lowest level it's been in 27 years; our index crime – those are crimes against people. So that's any theft, shoplifting, robbery, any violent crime,” the mayor said.

Pekau said part of the village’s technology allows them to flag and track stolen vehicles that are driven into the area.

"If we get any hits on any of our technology like a stolen car coming into town or something like that, obviously we jump on that before they can commit any other crimes,” Pekau said. “Obviously, they're driving the stolen car that allows us to pull them over and do searches.”

The police department also pulls over those who are smoking marijuana openly while driving and charges the driver with DUI, which is not something other area police departments do.  

He said the department’s efforts have resulted in 60 guns being taken off the street this year.

“These guns that we're removing from the street belong to somebody that's committed crimes before – like over 90% of them – three quarters-plus are out on bail. So we need to keep those types of criminals locked up,” Pekau said.

Many track the skyrocketing area crime rates to lax prosecution policies by State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and Chicago’s refusal to charge those stealing $950 and under with a felony.

“It puts a lot of pressure on all the police departments around, but we're all trying to cooperate to make sure this doesn't happen,” Pekau said of violent crimes in the area. “The big thing is we're not getting cooperation from Kim Foxx. Obviously, all this stuff from Chicago, we know what's happening in Chicago and it's bleeding all over.”

Pekau said most of the criminals have been from other parts of the area, often Chicago, and that in taking them off the streets the village’s effort has an effect on overall crime rates.

“Our officers have been doing a phenomenal job because obviously eventually they're going to commit another crime and we basically believe in stopping them before they commit another crime against a person, you know, before they do another, after a robbery or carjacking or something like that,” he said.

He said the village also places more of an emphasis on carrying out proper police work when a crime occurs.

“We put more, more money into investigations than most departments do as a percentage because we know that if we catch them, it makes ... a huge difference, right? That word gets out. And even if they're being let go, they don't like getting caught. So that helps,” Pekau said.

Part of that effort, oddly enough, is in getting corporate franchises to press charges when they are victimized.

He said some parts of corporate America are enabling criminality in communities by pushing nationwide efforts to not charge criminals who carry out crimes at their stores.

“You're inviting criminals to town because they know that you're fair game and they're not just going to target you,” he said of the lax corporate attitudes. “They’re going to target other businesses, they're going to target other people and we don't want that here.”

With over 12 million square feet of active retail in the village, Pekau said there is a lot a stake should criminality spiral upward as it has elsewhere.

“So if you want to be in Orland Park, we're a law and order community and we expect you to cooperate with the police and that's been very positive because we had a few corporations that didn't necessarily want to cooperate. They do now,” he said.

Crime in Chicago has progressed so much that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has requested help from federal law enforcement agencies.

The entirety of Cook County has seen over 1,000 murders for the year, the highest rate since 1994. Chicago alone has experienced 783 murders.

Pekau said Lightfoot previously turned to the surrounding suburbs like Orland Park and asked for help.

“We're not helping you!” Pekau said. “You’re the one that decimated your own police department by how you treat them. And now you want us to cover you and cover your staffing shortages because you mistreated or you let them go.

“They've created the problem and last I checked they all supported Kim Fox in her reelection."

Pekau is hoping to take his crime fighting strategy to a larger stage.

In mid-November he announced a run against U.S. Rep. Sean Casten (D-Downers Grove) in Illinois’ new 6th Congressional District, which also includes U.S. Rep. Marie Newman (D-LaGrange) who will face off in the Democratic primary.  

“It is one of the reasons I'm running for Congress,” Pekau said. “One of the platform items is keeping people safe. Marie Newman and Sean Casten support Kim Foxx. They support the defund the police, no cash bail movement that is putting us all at risk. It's clear it's not working.”