We decided today to head out to Orland Park to pick up some things at Michael's which is an arts and crafts store and the last place I expected this to happen. As always I bring my handheld scanner with us (SDS100) and as I travel, turn on departments to catch any radio traffic. Fortunately, Orland Park's Police channels are non-secure and analog conventional (154.785 CTCSS 173.8) and made available to the general public (the good guys and gals) to listen. Today...that paid off.
As I was driving down Lagrange Road this afternoon, I monitored a broadcast of an offender who just took a $7,000 ring from a local jewelry store. This appeared to by all accounts to be a theft since no weapon was mentioned. Orland Park dispatcher put out a physical and clothing description which he received from the complainant. Shortly afterwards, a second description was called in by another jewelry store which had similar race, height, weight but clothing was different but mentioned he might have been "face timing" which I did know was a Iphone thing...lol. It also was noticed that he ran west across Lagrange Road, which caused me to take notice as I was approaching the Orland Park area. I jokingly told my girlfriend "wouldn't be just my luck we ran into him at Michael's".
As we pulled into Michael's lot, I took a look around but didn't see anything of concern. But...as I was walking into the store, I couldn't believe it, but standing in front of me was a "possible" offender, same race, physical description who was "talking into his phone away from his face, as if he was face-timing". However, his clothing didn't match his last description. He was acting very suspicious in the store and frequently staring out the front of the store as if he was "waiting for a ride". He was pacing the aisles of the store, and just acting suspiciously would be my best description.
I left the store "to make a phone call", dialed 9-1-1 and told the dispatcher what I heard on the scanner (I remember telling him I was being nosey), but as soon as I mentioned the $7,000 theft of a ring from the jewelry store, I'm sure he knew I knew what I was talking about.
I left my information with the responding officers, and received a follow-up call from a Detective. It was later found out the "now known offender" did in fact have the ring concealed upon his body, and admitted to Orland Park Detectives his involvement.
While his suspicious behavior might have alerted me to contact the police, my information received via a non-secure radio system was crucial to assisting a police department with apprehending an offender who "might" have escaped by hiding out in an "arts and crafts store" until his "ride/mode of escape" arrived.
I felt a sense of satisfaction doing this today, and with my knowledge gained by listening, making a 9-1-1 call to the law enforcement agency and not interfering was a "by the book" moment on how we should behave in these situations. I didn't "engage" the offender, but "observed" his actions until the police came.
As I was driving down Lagrange Road this afternoon, I monitored a broadcast of an offender who just took a $7,000 ring from a local jewelry store. This appeared to by all accounts to be a theft since no weapon was mentioned. Orland Park dispatcher put out a physical and clothing description which he received from the complainant. Shortly afterwards, a second description was called in by another jewelry store which had similar race, height, weight but clothing was different but mentioned he might have been "face timing" which I did know was a Iphone thing...lol. It also was noticed that he ran west across Lagrange Road, which caused me to take notice as I was approaching the Orland Park area. I jokingly told my girlfriend "wouldn't be just my luck we ran into him at Michael's".
As we pulled into Michael's lot, I took a look around but didn't see anything of concern. But...as I was walking into the store, I couldn't believe it, but standing in front of me was a "possible" offender, same race, physical description who was "talking into his phone away from his face, as if he was face-timing". However, his clothing didn't match his last description. He was acting very suspicious in the store and frequently staring out the front of the store as if he was "waiting for a ride". He was pacing the aisles of the store, and just acting suspiciously would be my best description.
I left the store "to make a phone call", dialed 9-1-1 and told the dispatcher what I heard on the scanner (I remember telling him I was being nosey), but as soon as I mentioned the $7,000 theft of a ring from the jewelry store, I'm sure he knew I knew what I was talking about.
I left my information with the responding officers, and received a follow-up call from a Detective. It was later found out the "now known offender" did in fact have the ring concealed upon his body, and admitted to Orland Park Detectives his involvement.
While his suspicious behavior might have alerted me to contact the police, my information received via a non-secure radio system was crucial to assisting a police department with apprehending an offender who "might" have escaped by hiding out in an "arts and crafts store" until his "ride/mode of escape" arrived.
I felt a sense of satisfaction doing this today, and with my knowledge gained by listening, making a 9-1-1 call to the law enforcement agency and not interfering was a "by the book" moment on how we should behave in these situations. I didn't "engage" the offender, but "observed" his actions until the police came.
