Crime in Taylorville continues to fall.  A sustained drop of this nature in cases tends to indicate that the police department’s tactics are working.  They point to efforts to engage the community and mentor members of the police force in lower ranks.  The Halloween Bash is one of their community outreach events, and a glance at the calendar shows it is not too far away.  The drop in crime does contain an exception for one category, but officials have a plan to address it. 

Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler his eyes both on the numbers and on how his department got there.  Having recently attended a conference with other law enforcement leaders, he says Taylorville sets the example across Central Illinois. 

The Taylorville Police Department is looking ahead to the Halloween Bash.  They also intend to hold a smaller event before then.  Dates for both events are still unknown.

While crime overall has decreased in Taylorville, the opposite trend has occurred with respect to break-ins.  Chief Wheeler says it’s gone up around 4% within the last few years, but he is ready to make changes.

Chief Wheeler also spoke regarding two recent safety-related incidents at Taylorville Junior High School.  On Friday, September 12, a 3D-printed toy gun was found with students on school grounds.  Around two weeks prior, the school district responded to a social media threat directed at the school, later discovered to be unfounded.  Chief Wheeler calls on parents to do more to prevent these incidents from happening. 

More information on the Taylorville Police Department is available at www.taylorville.net/police-dept. 

Police Chief Dwayne Wheeler appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.