Officers engage residents at Peoria Walk and Talk
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Peoria Police Department held its second Walk and Talk event along Arcadia Avenue just off of Wisconsin Avenue on Wednesday
Members of the Peoria Police Department use Walk and Talks as a tool to build trust within the community. Officers spent time knocking on doors, leaving pamphlets in mailboxes or in the hands of residents.
People shared their concerns and suggestions, including wanting the officers to be more visible. Interim Patrol Captain Eric Esser said the Walk and Talks are beneficial to the community and police department.
'I know that it has helped us solve a couple of crimes in the past,' Esser said. 'The information that we received from some people. And it also just gets us out there engaging with the people that we're serving. So, I think that's pretty big, it's a big goal of our department, and I enjoy it and I think the officers enjoy it too.'
Walk and Talks are hosted every other Wednesday until August 27. There are a total of 10 this year. The next Walk and Talk will start near Whittier Primary School on May 21.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CIProud.com.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Peoria police search for man after car theft at gunpoint
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Peoria police are looking for a man who allegedly took a vehicle from another man at gunpoint late Thursday night. The incident occurred at about 10:45 p.m. in the 100 block of North Braves Court which is about a block away from the Carver Center, police said. When officers arrived at the scene, they talked to the victim, who said he was parked in his vehicle when another person approached him. That person, who was armed, ordered him out of the vehicle and drove off, police said. The victim was not injured. Later, the car was found 1000 block of West Hurlburt Street which is about four blocks away. Officers were able to find the car using a License Plate Reader camera. No arrests have been made and there is no information on the suspect, police said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Far North Peoria tattoo artist held for sexually explicit and ‘grooming' messages
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A Far North Peoria man spent two hours sending sexually explicit text messages to a 16-year-old girl earlier this year. That's what Assistant State's Attorney Terry Muench said during a brief hearing Thursday in Peoria County Circuit Court where Mario E. Davis, 34, was charged with one count of grooming. Davis appeared in court twice Thursday. The first time was in the morning, when a judge found probable cause to proceed on the charges. The second time was in the afternoon before Judge Mark Gilles who ordered him held pending the outcome of his case. Muench said a reason to hold him was that Davis had called Peoria police hours after he texted the teenage girl to claim his Snapchat account was hacked or that someone was posing as him. He even, the prosecutor said, went so far as to change the name of his account. That change came after she had screen recorded their conversation. that matters as users of Snapchat are notified when someone takes a screen shot of their image or text. The judge noted that Davis was a threat to minors, the 'most vulnerable people in society,' and the harm that could come to a child would be beyond repair. Nothing that could be done to ensure that he would not continue this activity online, Gilles said. 'Children are at a high risk with this defendant if he's not detained based upon what I have heard today,' Gilles said, noting that Davis' past criminal record did have a misdemeanor charge of tattooing of a minor and obstructing justice. The prosecutor pointed out twice in open court that the entire conversation was found on Davis' cellphone when he was arrested this week. Muench said an investigation into Davis began in mid-February after a parent reported her child had gotten the illicit messages. The girl, who knew Davis as her older sister had worked with him, spent two hours in the early morning hours of Feb. 12, talking to him after she accepted a friend request from him. The conversation started innocently but quickly turned sexual. The girl did tell him that she was 16 and Davis, Muench said, kept going with the conversation. After serving several search warrants on several social media accounts, they arrested Davis Tuesday at an address in the 7700 block of North Grand Prairie Drive. Detectives were able to confirm that the account used to communicate with the girl was registered to Davis. Also, GPS data from Snapchat indicated that the conversation occurred in or around Davis's residence, said Anna Perales of the state's attorney's office. While it wasn't clear where he was arrested, Davis runs a tattoo shop called Ink Capital, which is located on that block. He will next appear in court on June 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Township allegedly fleeced by its own employee sues Spotlight PA to block access to bond claim details
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at STATE COLLEGE — A small rural township has sued Spotlight PA to prevent disclosure of financial records as it seeks to recover through its insurer almost $533,000 in public money allegedly stolen by a former employee. This week, Gregg Township and the newsroom agreed to stay the case in Centre County court until the township's insurance company can make a determination. In November, Pennsylvania State Police accused Pamela Hackenburg of stealing more than half a million dollars from Gregg Township over five years and charged her with four felonies. The township then officially terminated Hackenburg, who had been on unpaid leave since last May. In December, Spotlight PA published an investigation into how the alleged theft had escaped detection by elected officials for years. That report was based in part on documents obtained through the state's open records law, including township credit card statements that showed numerous transactions with the sports betting company DraftKings. Hackenburg is awaiting criminal proceedings in the Centre County Court of Common Pleas, but she has not entered a plea, according to the county prothonotary office. While the criminal case proceeds, Gregg Township hopes to recover the township funds she allegedly stole. Gregg Township holds a bond policy issued by Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, which covers liability on behalf of the former secretary with a limit of $700,000, according to a copy of the renewal certificate Spotlight PA previously obtained. According to minutes from an Oct. 10 meeting, Township Solicitor David Gaines 'said that he made it clear [to the insurance company] that the township needs the money.' During a public meeting in November, Gaines reported that the insurance company was finalizing its response, and it was unclear how much money the insurer might decide to pay out. Spotlight PA filed an open records request in December seeking communications between Gregg Township and Travelers Insurance Company, as well as any documents the township had submitted to support the claim. Gregg Township denied Spotlight PA's request related to the bond claim in late January, saying the requested materials were exempt from disclosure under the state Right-to-Know Law. The newsroom appealed the following month. In April, the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, a quasi-judicial agency that adjudicates public records matters, gave a partial ruling. The office ordered the township to provide some financial records related to the bond investigation, but denied Spotlight PA's request to obtain the township's communications with its insurance company. In a filing to the Centre County Court of Common Pleas a week later, Gregg Township said the decision by the OOR 'was erroneous and violated relevant law.' Because the bond claim investigation is ongoing, 'among other concerns, the Township does not want to risk upsetting that process at the peril of the Township's bond claim,' the filing said. 'The Township is more than happy to divulge records once Travelers has finalized its review of the matter.' After being sued, Spotlight PA emailed Gaines and township supervisors to ask about the lawsuit and seek additional clarity on the insurance claim. Gaines asked the news outlet to ask questions during monthly public meetings and not over email. 'Last year, Gregg Township uncovered evidence indicating that one of its employees may have used Township funds as her own. The Township continues to investigate that matter, and the Township has provided routine reports to the community about the status of the investigation, most often through discussion at the supervisors' meetings,' Gaines wrote in an email to Spotlight PA. Josh Bonn, transparency attorney at Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC, is representing Spotlight PA pro bono in this case. He said public access to government financial records, especially when there are allegations of misuse of public funds, is critical. 'The 1976 film All the President's Men popularized the catch phrase, 'follow the money,' as an effective means to root out public corruption,' he said in an email. Gregg Township and Spotlight PA entered into an agreement Wednesday to stay the proceedings in court, letting the dispute remain in place while the bond company makes its decision on the claim. The township said in its filing that Travelers is expected to render a decision in the next 30 to 60 days. and help us reinvigorate local news in north-central Pennsylvania at Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability and public-service journalism that gets results. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.