Crime: May 2008 Archives

Drew Peterson, a suspect in the disappearance of his fourth wife, Stacy, faces up to five years in prison on a charge of possessing an illegal weapon -- a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches. Peterson, who was released Wednesday after posting $7,500 bail -- 10 percent of a $75,000 bond -- says that as a member of the Bolingbrook Police Department's SWAT team it was legal for him to possess the rifle when authorities seized it and other weapons back in October.

Why arrest Drew on the gun charge now, and why set bond at $75,000? At a hearing Thursday a judge is expected to allow Peterson's son to take possession of the other guns that were seized.

What do you think of the arrest? How do you think this arrest fits into the larger investigations -- into the now-determined homicide of Kathleen Savio, Drew's third wife, and Stacy's disappearance? What do you think will happen next?

An eighth-grader at Naperville's Jefferson Junior High School was arrested Friday for allegedly bringing a pellet gun to school. Authorities petitioned him as a juvenile, and he'll likely face disciplinary action by the school district as well.

The school district says it must adopt a zero-tolerance policy these days, and understandably so. Should the boy be allowed to graduate, or be expelled? Aside from the school's right to administer discipline, was the arrest necessary? Should a child who breaks a rule by bringing a pellet gun to school face criminal consequences?

Tell us what you think.

Maybe you noticed, if you drove Route 59 on May 9, a bunch of cops pulling over motorists. It was a safety initiative by 14 police agencies from Hoffman Estates to Shorewood. Get this--they even gave ample warning, notifying the media ahead of time (The Sun ran a story in advance) and putting up electronic message boards. All the same, this year's initiative--which targeted speeders and seat-belt scofflaws--netted 548 tickets. The kicker is, Naperville police issued nearly half--218--way more than any other participating agency. (Streamwood cops were second with 82 tickets.)

What does this say about Naperville police? Are they especially concerned about our safety, intent on generating revenue from ticket fines, or just driven to be No. 1 at every thing they do?

The Naperville Sun broke the story about the arrest of Nicholas T. Birkett, 21, the son of DuPage County State's Attorney Joseph Birkett, by Naperville police for possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia. The younger Birkett faces a lesser charge--he was cited under a Naperville ordinance because he had no previous arrests or convictions, while two other men with him face state charges because they had previously been arrested.

What should be the response of the elder Birkett, a former Republican Party gubernatorial candidate who has been a tireless and ferocious prosecutor of narcotics dealers and drug-related crimes? If found guilty, what would be an appropriate punishment for the younger Birkett? What do you think of the arrest by Naperville police, who previously arrested Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar for DUI? (Claar was not convicted).

You can read the full Sun report here:

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/news/947738,na14_birkett_s1.article

Naperville police have announced a stepped-up seat belt enforcement campaign. Through June 1, Naperville and other departments will intensify around-the-clock seat belt efforts. Statistics show about 18 percent of adults do not regularly wear seat belts. Are you among them? Have you ever been ticketed for failing to wear a seat belt? Will you plan to wear one now that you know police are stepping up enforcement? And here's a bit of trivia--what's the only state in America that does not require adults to wear seat belts?

Naperville expected to reap $2.4 million in new revenue this year by launching a red-light photo enforcement program that would automatically send tickets to people caught on tape violating traffic signal regulations. Now the city manager says the program is plagued with technical problems, and staff recommend the city council terminate a contract with a company administering the program.

What do you think of the plan to seek bids from other companies? Given this experience and problems with red-light cameras reported in other communities across the country, how wise is it for Naperville to commit to a program at this time? What about the revenue the city expected from the program--no doubt it will be less, maybe lost altogether. How should the council address the revenue shortfall?