Thursday, December 15, 2011
Part Two in our series on marijuana possession arrests in Oak Park and River Forest.
Yesterday, we explained some of the statistics behind 19 months worth of marijuana possession arrests in Oak Park and River Forest, rehashed some of the important reporting taking place elsewhere in the Chicago area and invited you to sound off in the comments. Here's the story. Today, you’ll hear from local elected and appointed officials, as well as some other community leaders and advocates. We posed the same question to all of them — Where do you stand on marijuana decriminalization? Here's what they had to say: We’re not talking about cocaine, we’re not talking about heroin. There needs to be an honest debate about the real effect of marijuana use…and whether or not the war on drugs has been effective. I have to venture that it has …
Friday, June 24, 2011
After making high-profile arrests, officers saluted for a job well done.
Two River Forest police officers received special "attaboys" from Police Chief Greg Weiss and the village board for their quick thinking in thwarting a pair of recent crimes. Officer Justin Labriola, a 7-year-veteran of the department, was credited for busting up an April 27 residential burglary to a home in the 700 block of Bonnie Brae Place. Labriola chased down one of the suspects, arrested him in the Chase banking branch at Oak Street and Harlem Avenue and placed him in a squad car. Then he tracked down the second suspect, who was hiding behind an apartment complex on the 500 block of Harlem Avenue in Oak Park. "Officer Labriola's skill and instinct resulted in a quick arrest...and his actions in this significant arrest have brought …
Monday, June 20, 2011
River Forest officer spots, then stops, theft in progress.
A Maywood man has been in charged in connection with a River Forest garage burglary after a local police officer caught him red-handed, authorities said. Laquell Brown, 28, was spotted by a River Forest police officer stealing a bike from a garage in the 200 block of Ashland Avenue around 12:15 p.m. Friday, police said. Brown, of the 500 block of South Second Avenue, was charge with burglary and resisting a peace officer, authorities said. Brown had damaged a fence while trying to run away, leading to an additional charge of criminal damage to property, authorities said. In a statement, Police Chief Gregory Weiss chalked the arrest up to the department's "anti-burglary mission plan," which aims to prevent burglaries and other property …
41.883072
-87.816198
200 Ashland Ave, River Forest, IL
Site of June 17 garage burglary
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Friday, June 17, 2011
Concordia University will move scoreboard, add bleachers.
Missed Monday's River Forest Village Board meeting? Patch has the recap. Street Repairs Approved: The bidding process is underway for the village's 2011 street improvement program. Public works director Phil Cotter said work is expected to begin in July and be completed by September, with road crews under orders to complete work in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Ashland Avenue before the start of the school year at Frances Willard Elementary School. For a complete list of streets scheduled for repairs, see the village's website. New Concordia Scoreboard, Seats OKd: The board approved Concordia University Chicago's plans for the relocation of the school's ball field scoreboard, the addition of a press box and the installation fixed bleacher …
Thursday, June 16, 2011
River Forest's new top cop gets sworn into duty.
The appointment of new River Forest Police Chief Greg Weiss became official with a swearing in by Village Clerk Roma Steinke. After the brief ceremony at Monday's village board meeting, Weiss thanked his family in the audience, credited the officers in his department and received heaps of praise from trustees. "You've spent the last 14 months practicing for the job," said Village President John Rigas. "I have all the faith in the world in you." Weiss, 49, was appointed to the job with a 6-0 vote at the May 23 River Forest Village Board meeting after spending more than a year in the interim role. He replaced the departing Frank Limon, who spent 18 months in the post before leaving in April 2010 in what was former trustees Stephen Hoke …
Friday, May 27, 2011
Career in law enforcement reaches peak with appointment to top cop job.
Earlier this week, Greg Weiss was officially named police chief of River Forest. For Weiss, 49 and a father of three, the appointment came after spending 14 months at the helm in an interim capacity. Patch caught up with Weiss, an Army veteran who joined the River Forest force as a patrol officer in 1987, at his village hall office for a quick chat about what's next for River Forest's new top cop. Patch: What are some of your short-term priorities? Weiss: Filling some spaces in the department. [Changes in personnel] will leave a potential opening for a deputy chief's position and...an entry level position. But I have no immediate [staffing] changes that I want to make. Patch: How about some of the longer-term priorities? Weiss: I'd like to…
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Allegations of child pornography turn up a .357 instead. Also, Dominican University peeper charged.
River Forest police went searching for kiddie porn inside a Forest Park man's home and instead turned up an illegal .357 magnum and nine rounds of bullets, authorities said. The ordeal began in January, when police said a security guard working at Dominican University's Crown Library spotted what he believed was child pornography on a library computer used by 51-year-old Mark Gandolfo. Gandolfo, who police said "jumped up and shut off the monitor," was then escorted from the library. The computer, which River Forest Interim Police Chief Greg Weiss said showed 51 pages of what was believed to be kiddie porn, was turned over to authorities. Weiss said the images depicted what "appeared to be nude children and children involved in various…
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Undercover sting leads to drug arrest.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Casey Cora
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Tuesday, February 22, 2011
A Chicago gang member has been charged in connection with an undercover drug sting in River Forest, police said. Investigators with the River Forest Police Department learned that Darryl Greer, 18, had been delivering heroin to the west suburban area, prompting an investigation by the West Suburban Drug and Gang Enforcement Task Force (WEDGE), police said. Over the course of two weeks, undercover officers bought 11.5 grams of heroin from Greer at two locations in River Forest, according to a news release. On Wednesday, undercover officers arranged a drug buy in the 7500 block of Lake Street, where Greer was met by a host of law enforcement officers and arrested. Greer was carrying 14.2 grams of heroin in custom-made pants pockets, a …
