Residents Asked To Report Charter Buses Unloading Passengers: Village

TINLEY PARK, IL — Tinley Park officials on Thursday asked residents to be aware of charter buses spotted attempting to drop passengers in Metra parking lots or roadways in the area.

Officials told residents to "be observant" of such occurrences, as officials in other towns such as Manhattan have reported instances of migrants disembarking similar, luxury-style buses.

"If anyone observes a Coach-type bus in our Metra lots or roadways we are asking that you contact the TInley Park Police Department non-emergency number," officials said on social media. That number is (708)532-9111.

In response to the migrant humanitarian crisis, Tinley Park officials this week passed an ordinance preventing intercity bus drivers from dropping passengers off unscheduled without prior approval. That ordinance allows Tinley Park authorities to police the buses and drivers. If in violation of the points outlined in the ordinance, drivers may be cited and their vehicles impounded.

"Unscheduled bus stops without a coordinated plan, especially in inclement weather, endangers the safety and welfare of passengers," Mayor Michael Glotz said. "This ordinance holds noncompliant bus operators accountable and eases the burden on Village resources that results from these kinds of unplanned stops."

Interim Tinley Park Police Chief Thomas Tilton said the ordinance is "to discourage bus companies to drop people in an unsafe area, during unsafe weather.

"It’s not directed at the passengers," Tilton said. "These are passengers that are being brought into the area that they’re not from here, they don’t have anyone there to meet them. We want to be sure they’re ok, especially with the onset of bad weather coming in.

"Our efforts are not to forcibly interact with the passengers—if they’ve disembarked, we’re going to try to get them to where they’re trying to go."

Village Manager Pat Carr said the ordinance is partly in response to an ongoing humanitarian crisis surrounding migrants. Both Tilton and Carr stressed some passengers might lack a geographic awareness of the area.

"One of the things that we want to emphasize is the people getting off the bus don’t know where they’re going," Tilton said. "They’ve been dropped into a town they’ve never been in before. That makes them easy prey for criminals.