A new crime incident dashboard designed to keep community members informed about crimes committed in Oak Park is the latest addition to the Village’s open data portal. This interactive tool provides clear, accessible data on crime trends in Oak Park, helping residents understand what is happening in their neighborhood. Users can explore the database and map by location, offense type and the time and date a crime was committed. To access the crime incident database, visit opendata.oak-park.us/CrimeIncident. The database is part of a growing number of resources available through the Village’s open data portal, which strives to put municipal government data at the fingertips of community members. Explore dashboards related to traffic crashes, building permits, water service, capital improvement projects and more at opendata.oak-park.us. 

If someone calls or knocks on your door promising a better deal on electricity, be cautious — you could be misled into switching to a supplier that will cost more. The Village is recirculating this message after recent reports of an unscrupulous solicitor visiting the homes of Oak Park residents. Salespeople who offer to save you money may ask for your account number or to see your bill. Most likely they are selling a low introductory rate or trying to get your account number so they can switch you to a different provider with your permission. Representatives from the Village and its electricity supplier, MC Squared Energy Services, never solicit door-to-door or by telephone. More information, including some basic guidelines to help avoid scams, is available at www.oak-park.us/electricscam.

If you have a vacation coming up, officers can provide periodic checks of your residence for peace of mind. To schedule a Vacation Watch, fill out the form at www.oak-park.us/vacationwatch. Someone from the Police Department will respond to confirm your request. Please submit your request at least 7 days in advance for scheduling purposes. Email police@oak-park.us with any questions.

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8. The Oak Park Fire Department reminds you to set your clocks forward one hour. This is a good time to consider your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Test and replace the batteries on detectors that use alkaline batteries. Consider changing those alarms to one of the newer devices, which have both smoke and CO detectors in one device. These also contain a sealed 10-year battery, which costs a bit more upfront but actually saves money over the life of the alarm by eliminating battery replacement. Alarms don't last forever, so be sure to replace any detector when it is 10 years old. Any questions? Email fireprevention@oak-park.us.