Shorewood Has Crazy Idea To Stop Speeders

SHOREWOOD, IL - If you drive around the growing village of Shorewood, you can't help but notice the many police cars regularly camped out along Route 52, often by the street near Shorewood's Police Station. On Tuesday afternoon, the police department took to social media announcing a new, innovative concept aimed at cracking down on motorists who choose to violate the posted speed limit here.

"Effective May 1, 2018, the Shorewood Police Department will make available a radar unit to residents for monitoring the speeds of vehicles," the agency announced on Facebook.

People wanting to participate in the program will need to sign a usage agreement and provide proof of residency. "The radar unit may be used up to three days," the police department notified their Facebook followers. "The resident will be given instruction on the operation of the radar unit."

However, the "process will require two people. One to operate the radar and the other to log the information. The Shorewood Police Department will send letters to the registered owners of the vehicles that were reported exceeding the legal speed limit. The letter will inform the registered owner that there is a concern for safety of families and encourage the adherence to traffic laws," the Facebook announcement stated.

According to police, the letter may be particularly effective if someone besides the car or truck's owner was driving at the time.

Shorewood Police encourage residents to contact Officer Brett Middleton or Officer Tabor Aubry in the traffic division with any questions, and if they are interested in running the radar unit. The main number for the Shorewood Police Department is 815-725-1460.

Within three hours of making the announcement, the Shorewood Police Facebook page already had more than 135 comments.

Here's a small sampling of that reaction:

• "Horrible idea. Al it's gonna take is a grumpy resident to just write down vehicle plates of people he/she doesn't like and the police will be sending letters to wrong people. There is no true way for citizens to properly enforce speed except to hire more officers for the town and write more tickets."
• "Cars speed all the time on Vertin and need to slow down ... Everyone wants more officers but that isn't always a possibility so I commend them for offering some type of solution."
• "We were just yelled at by a lady driving through our subdivision this weekend when my husband motioned to her to slow down. She came to a screeching stop, rolled down her window and yelled at my husband that he had no right telling her to slow down. When we said okay we'll take it up with the police, she told us go ahead that her husband is a police officer so she can drive anyway she likes."
• "I can see issues with this. Individuals with the radar gun out there making it completely obvious and a confrontation ensues. Liability to the city and others. I mean this is a decent idea, but the patrol units and stationary radar equipment should be used for this ... To empower the community? Simply increase patrols or place radar equipment to gain speed data, which will tell you to effectively increase patrols in that area."
• Fantastic idea although I doubt it will deter ... I still think speed humps like they did in Bolingbrook and in other towns ... would slow people down permanently and will end cutting through traffic."

Image via John Ferak/Shorewood Patch Editor