No More Metal Detectors For Crystal Lake Park Board Meetings

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — Metal detectors and heightened security has been in place at the past four Crystal Lake Park District Board meetings but, starting in January, those measures will be nixed.

The park board's president opted for the heightened security after meetings turned "hostile," with yelling, personal jabs and booing from the public prompting his move to put in place a weapons detection scanner, which expense reports showed to be $1,500, and then only a metal detector, which cost $325 per meeting, the Daily Herald is reporting.

Board President Frederick Tiesenga said during a Monday meeting that hangs have become "much calmer now," according to the article.

“I think that the added security has been commensurate with the behavior in the community and online,” he said. “Everybody in this room is safer. It is bad to be safer for $300 once a month? I don’t think it’s bad to be safer.”

The park board meetings are held at Main Beach Pavilion, and park board members voted 4-3 during the meeting on December 15 to lessen security.

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