Sheriff: Use Online Form To Report Violations Of Governor's Order

LAKE COUNTY, IL — The Lake County Sheriff's Office is working to clear up what it says is false information and rumors regarding an online violation form created by the office for residents to report complaints instead of calling 911.

In a news release, the sheriff's office said the submission form was created in March in addition to its multiple online reporting platforms due to "the whirlwind of changes" caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the "significant number" of complaints its dispatchers were getting about possible violations of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's executive stay-at-home order. The form was not designed for neighbors to turn against each other but instead to streamline efficiency for the sheriff's office and dispatchers.

"Instead of spending several minutes on the telephone with someone regarding a possible governor’s order violation, we could reroute those calls to the online form, thus leaving our dispatchers available to take emergency and high-priority calls," the sheriff's office said in the news release.

According to the sheriff's office, the online form contains drop-down options for the most common types of calls its dispatchers have received.

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From there, the submitted complaint is given a preliminary review. Some are dismissed as "unfounded" based on the report of something that isn't an actual violation.

However, if the complaint is merited, a deputy responds to determine if there truly is a violation, or the complaint is forwarded to the proper municipal police department for its review if not in the sheriff's office's jurisdiction. If the deputy finds there is a violation of the order, the deputy will provide information and educate the business or person in violation to ensure they understand the order.

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To date, the department said it has not had to take any enforcement action, "which goes to show how important it is to have open lines of communication with the community."

"Our primary focus has been education of the multiple executive orders and guidelines that are applied differently to different types of businesses," the sheriff's office said in the news release.

The sheriff's office reminds residents that it is here for them and will work with them, not against them, because it understands how stressful the coronavirus pandemic has become for everyone.

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"We would ask those politicizing this issue to please know the facts before creating undue fear and panic to our Lake County residents," the sheriff's office added. "We continue to take a common-sense enforcement approach to this ever changing situation."

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