Crime & Safety
OF Residents Invited to Unload Unwanted Guns at Buy Back
Oak Forest residents can turn in unwanted firearms at the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police (SSACOP) Gun Buy Back Program from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23 at the Midlothian Police Department.
If just one handgun turned in at a gun buy back program this weekend means that gun is kept out of the hands of criminals, Chief Greg Anderson will count the event a success.
Fortunately, Oak Forest isn't home to a lot of violent crime, Anderson said. He guesses that his department confiscates less than 15 to 20 guns a year.
"We have a relatively low recovery rate of handguns in Oak Forest," he said, adding that his estimates are unofficial. "We don't see a severe rate of violent crime that other areas may see."
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Oak Forest is participating in the South Suburban Association Chiefs of Police (SSACOP) Gun Buy Back Program, which will be offered at six sites throughout the Southland from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oak Forest's site will be at the Midlothian Police Department, 14801 S. Pulaski Road.
Participants will receive $50 cash for each gun as long as they meet the program requirements. There is a limit of $100 per person regardless of the number of guns turned in.
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"We're very lucky that a benefactor came forward with a significant sum of money," Anderson said. Whether the program is offered next year will mostly likely depend on the results of this year's event and if there is funding for the program next year, he said.
Businessmen Marcial Rodriquez and Richard Franco, Vice President and General Manager of Night and Day Restoration, donated a $5,000 check to the program, according to the SSACOP.
All types of firearms will be accepted and must be unloaded and transported in the trunk of the vehicle or inaccessible area of a van or pickup truck, according to instructions issued by police. Participants should enter the secure turn-in site without the firearms so that police officers can accompany them to their cars to retrieve the guns.
To receive $50, the firearm must be complete and functional. Pellet and BB guns will be accepted but no money will be given for them. Saturday's program will end when the funds are exhausted. Participants are urged to call ahead to 708-389-0200 before traveling to the Midlothian Police Department.
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