Page 14 - John Fermon News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

CHICAGO—Since Illinois lawmakers passed a major criminal justice reform bill in January, five Illinois sheriffs have retired early ...

Photo courtesy to BPD Facebook Vehicle burglaries usually spike during the start of summer and being proactive in protecting yourself and your vehicle reduces the chance of you becoming a victim. Theft from Motor Vehicles are up nearly 60%. Public Information officer John Fermon said 24 “Theft from Motor Vehicles”  reports were made from Jan. 1 2021 to May 28 2021, that’s compared to the 15 reports made from last year from Jan. 1 2020 to May 28 2020. Fermon said the Bloomington Police Department officers are on the lookout, but they cannot be everywhere. “We don’t have enough peopl...

A blank COVID vaccination card located at a vaccination clinic in Bloomington. More than 61,000 people in McLean County are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That's just over one-third of the population. But do you know how many of our police officers, street crews and other public-facing employees are vaccinated? Actually, no one does. Local government leaders say when it comes to staff vaccinations, it's "don't ask, don't tell." Cathy Oloffson is director of Communications and Community Relations for the Town of Normal. She said town staff is generally forthcoming about getting their COVI...

Normal Police Deptartment Authorities in Bloomington-Normal say the number of gun seizures rose significantly in 2020 with police seizing a total of 94 firearms. That's a third more than the 61 seized in in the two communities in 2019. Normal Police Chief Rick Bleichner said it's not a new trend. "I think there are more firearms out there. From time to time, we have what they call straw purchases where someone will make a purchase who has a FOID card and they will illegally transfer it to someone who can't legally own a gun. But we also have a fair amount of thefts that happen," said Bleich...

Bloomington Police McLean County law enforcement agencies reported an average amount of gun violence in 2020. That’s a significant deviation from the national picture and the numbers in some other central Illinois communities. Bloomington Police said there were 27 shooting incidents last year. The five-year average is 28. The three-year average is 25. Police in Normal recorded 30 gun cases in 2020 compared with 31 in 2019. Shots fired incidents dropped slightly from 14 to nine in Normal. The McLean County Sheriff’s Department reported just one gun case, though such things are typicall...