Tinley Park Expo highlights security in wake of Lane Bryant murders

March 23, 2008
By Kristen Schorsch, Staff writer

No one helped Kitty Genovese in 1964 when she screamed for help as a man attacked her in the courtyardof her New York City apartment complex.

Some residents of the 35-unit complex turned on a light or two, but no one called police.

The man came back again, Genovese screamed and he fled. Still no help.

Then he came back again. The third time, he killed Genovese. She was 28.

"This really was the defining moment in the United States," said Phil Cline, former Chicago police superintendent. "This was the wake up call that we needed."

He was one of a handful of speakers Thursday at a safety and security expo Tinley Park and the Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce sponsored in light of the Feb. 2 Lane Bryant murders.

Five women were shot to death in what police have called a botched robbery at the women's clothing store at 191st Street and Harlem Avenue. A sixth woman was shot but survived. The killer has yet to be caught.

Lane Bryant did not have any surveillance cameras and police have released a sketch of the shooter based on information from the lone survivor.

The security event at the Tinley Park Convention Center featured about 60 vendors from Yorkville to Lemont who shared their expertise about the latest digital craze to keep businesses and homes safe: surveillance cameras, key card access and mass text-messaging, among others.

A camera that can keep a watchful eye on their trucking business in the Duvan Drive Business Park is what Jim and Gwen Bell want. The couple has watched nearby business fall victim to vandalism and theft, and they're concerned. Gwen Bell chalks up the crime to a growing Southland, which "brings a lot of outsiders in," she said. "Bigger is not necessarily better."

After Chicago police installed the first camera in 2003 on the West Side, Cline said homicides dropped 25 percent and shootings dipped 40 percent the following year. In the ABLA Homes on the Near West Side, police received 60 percent fewer calls for shootings and armed robberies, among other gun incidents, a 23 percent increase in drug arrests and no gang loitering calls, Cline said.

Surveillance cameras weren't the only thing deterring crime, Cline said. More squad cars patrolling neighborhoods and targeting gangs helped, too, he said.

"Why are cameras important? Because we process all our information visually," Cline said. "We all feel secure knowing your residence, your business, your street, your block is being watched."

Anyone captured on tape also helps police catch criminals, he said.

Xstream Mobile Solutions has another way to keep people safe, and it happens with the touch of a button.

The New Lenox-based company created a system in which towns sign up to send mass text messages to their residents within seconds. New Lenox police and the Will County Emergency Management System are on board.

"In essence, we can be starting a phone tree with this," said Allen Romano, director of police and public safety solutions. Residents can decide which test messages they want to receive, whether it's about a water main break, tornado or child abduction. The system costs up to $20,000 plus another $2,000 for a site link.

Kristen Schorsch can be reached at kschorsch@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5992. Kristen also blogs about Tinley Park at blogs.southtownstar.com.