Oak Forest Temporarily Changes Response Policy Due To COVID-19

From the City of Oak Forest:

March 16, 2020

For Immediate Release March 16th, 2020

Oak Forest Temporarily Changes Response Policy in Response to COVID 19 Virus

The Oak Forest police will no longer send an officer to take reports on low-level incidents in an effort to protect their staff from the coronavirus.

The department is encouraging people to report crimes through the non-emergency number at 708-687-1376 if they don’t require an immediate response and if no one is in danger. The department can then follow up with a phone call without risking exposure of officers or the person making the complaint to the virus. The Oak Forest Police said they would not send officers to a call unless there is still a crime in progress or it’s a serious offense. The police department is asking people to not come to the police department in person to report criminal activity unless it is an emergency. This change in policy is a temporary response to the COVID 19 virus. The police department will return to its prior response policy when the crisis subsides.

Timothy J. KristinChief of Police

This press release was produced by the City of Oak Forest . The views expressed here are the author’s own.