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Maywood Police Acquire License Plate Readers, Chief Touts Progress 


Thursday, February 3, 2022 || By Michael Romain || @maywoodnews 

Last year, in an effort to improve safety on Chicago area expressways, the Illinois State Police began to install license plate readers on the roadways. The ISP told Fox 32 Chicago that the readers were tested and showed a 99% success rate. 

“It gives us a starting point that our investigators truly need,” said ISP Major Matthew Gainer.

Now, the Maywood Police Department is getting in on the act. During a meeting on Jan. 18, the Maywood Board of Trustees approved a purchase of over $300,000 worth of equipment, including 60 radios and a series of license plate readers. 

During a report delivered at a board meeting on Feb. 1 outlining his first 100 days, Maywood Police Chief Elijah Willis said that the department was in the process of figuring out where to put the readers. 

The move comes as carjackings in Maywood have increased in the last two years. According to village data, there were 25 carjackings in 2020 and 34 in 2021 (as of September of that year), up considerably from the nine that took place in 2019. 

Carjackings have increased in Maywood even as the trend line for other crimes has been declining, according to village data. For instance, as of September 2021, there were 11 homicides in Maywood, down from 16 in 2020. Village data also showed domestic batteries, overdoses and robberies down in 2021 from 2020 levels. 

A chart showing village crime data. | Village of Maywood 

In addition to buying license plate readers and other technology, the village is also looking to hire more police officers. 

Last year, the village board approved a lateral hiring policy that will allow Maywood Police to hire officers who are already certified, bypassing the need to wait until new officers finish training and probationary periods — a process that has ground to a halt since the pandemic forced many police training academies to close or significantly reduce class sizes. 

Willis said that his department currently has 27 officers, six short of the 33 that the village can afford to hire. He said he hopes lateral hiring helps him get back to the 33 officers the village has the ability to afford in its current budget. 

Beyond new police hires and additional equipment, Willis said he also wants to enhance the department’s relationship with residents and other community stakeholders, such as business owners. 

“If you look at my mission statement the first thing it says is partnership in service delivery, because it can’t be us against them, them against us — it has to be all on one accord,” he said on Feb. 1. 

Maywood Police Chief Elijah Willis. | File

The chief said that the pandemic has cut into his attempts to forge closer community bonds, with a lot of initiatives and events taking place virtually. But he said he relishes the opportunities he gets to make in-person visits to businesses and area schools. 

“I’ve introduced myself to organized neighborhood groups and associations,” he said. “Even though I’ve done it via the internet, I’ve been trying to do it in person as much as I can. 

Willis said he also encourages his officers to make visits to local businesses and to forge relationships with community stakeholders. 

“I have officers go and talk to business owners, so they’ll know what zone they’re working in and what officers are working in their vicinity,” Willis said. 

Willis also said he’s been working on efforts to improve the department’s internal operations. He said he’s revised the department’s organizational chart, secured grants to purchase additional tasers and taser training offered by Cook County free of charge, and is looking to implement an award program to recognize the achievements of his officers. 

During the Feb. 1 meeting, Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker gave a short update on the progress of the Community Safety aspects of his Elements of a Healthy Community initiative. 

He said members of the initiative have conducted a community survey and hosted community meetings at both Irving Middle School and Proviso East High School. 

The initiative will host another community meeting on Saturday, Feb. 26, 9 a.m. to noon, at the Maywood Park District, 921 S. 9th Ave. in Maywood. 

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