PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria says his department has a number of goals and objectives in the new year, to try and not hit another all-time high of 34 homicides, and to lessen the number of other crimes.
During an event hosted by Council Member Chuck Grayeb Thursday night, Echevarria said one thing he wants to do is make sure offenders can’t re-offend.
“We are looking at some things to find a way to revoke their probation and ask for that,” said Echevarria. “I won’t tell you what we’re looking for, because I don’t want to give that information out. But, we’re having those conversations with probation.”
Echevarria says he would also like to see stiffer penalties for violent crime offenders.
Echevarria also said responding to a call of shots fired needs to mean more than just responding to a call of shots fired.
“What are we doing the next day?” Echevarria said. “Going back out and re-canvassing, knocking on more doors, looking for more cameras, looking for people to speak with, coming out near the time that it occurred the day before to see if there’s somebody home that wasn’t there the day before.”
Another thing Echevarria says he wants to make sure happens is continued communication across all shifts when crimes occur. He says that also applies to communication with the public.
The chief said earlier in the day he was changing the department’s focus to spend more time looking for offenders, but he didn’t say how he would do that.
Watch the full meeting below.
