Police: Never a Dull Moment at the Tinley Speedway

Lynette Johnston stood near pump No. 8 at the Speedway near 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue last week and threw her hands in the air.

"I'm sorry! Geez!" she said, turning toward a driver who whizzed by in between lanes of cars, gesturing wildly and yelling. As Johnston was waiting in line for a pump, she said the disgruntled driver pulled up on the opposite side, also waiting. Johnson had gotten there first.

The altercation didn't escalate, but some do at that Speedway, at 7201 W. 183rd St. in .

If you live in town, it's no secret that the station sees a lot of action.

Patrons typically wait in line for pumps—especially during rush hours—and long lines often form inside the store. It not only gets a lot of visits from area customers but . are not uncommon, according to reports.

"I frequently drive in there and I have to wait a while to get to a gas pump," said. "People are in a hurry, they leave things unattended … People need to be more cognizant of their surroundings and should never leave doors unlocked."

Valois said that in July, the department responded to 15 calls at the station. That number included accidents near the intersection, accidents on the property, solicitor complaints, suspicious person investigations, thefts, disorderly conduct calls and more, he noted. In August, there were seven calls.

Valois said the stats weren't "too unusual," and that they are what he "would have expected," for a gas station that size—it includes several rows of pumps on either side of a convenience store.

Components that add to the high traffic include the station being in close proximity to Interstate 80, Valois said. It also sits within Will County on the Will-Cook line. That means gas is generally cheaper, and so are cigarettes.

Speedway spokesman Shane Pochard said the company has 1,300 stores across seven states. A lot of stations are located right off the highway, he said, and tend to have a lot of traffic coming in and out.

"As far as daily customers, we kind of prefer to keep (that) to ourselves so people don't realize which stores are high traffic and which stores are not," he said. "Our security and safety policies are also proprietary."

Pochard did say that all staff are specially trained to handle security threats and that the company works cooperatively with local law enforcement agencies. Speedway managers often provide surveillance footage to police for investigations, according to police reports.

"Surveillance, security and safety of our patrons is something we take seriously," Pochard said. "We typically have a very good relationship with local authorities."

Valois said visits to the 183rd Street Speedway shouldn't be viewed any differently than stops at other local stations. Crime can happen anywhere, he said, and customers should take the proper precautions.

"Don't leave yourself vulnerable," he said. "Even if you're going inside for one minute, lock your doors. … Criminals count on citizens being lazy about their own security."

Like us on Facebook