Normal Police Officer discusses the public’s perception of recent crime

NORMAL, Ill. – Crime has not particularly increased in the community according to the Normal Police Department.

Several incidents in the community have recently caught the attention of the public, such as the hate crime in late August near the Bone Student Center, the gunfire striking a Starbucks in Bloomington last week, or the body discovered at Midwest Fiber inc. According to Community Engagement Officer Brad Park, while this is obviously concerning, it’s also just an aspect of normal changes in crime rates.

“Every year there’s always a fluctuation, whether it’s an increase in certain types of crime, maybe a decrease in others,” Park said. “But we definitely understand that the community is seeing a concerning number.”

Another potential cause of the increase in perceived crime is increased transparency from the department.

“One thing I can say is that with what people are seeing with press releases and information that we share via our social media channels,” Park said. “We’re definitely being more transparent with the information we’re pushing out just to let the community know.”

If community members are feeling unsafe, Park stresses a common message: “If you see something, say something.”

“The eyes of the community is what we need. Maybe it may not be anything relatively important, but sometimes some information is information that we need,” Park said. “Or that we can use to make the community feel safe and be safer.”

The Normal Police department’s non-emergency line is 309-454-9535, and they have a text tip line at 847411.