Public Safety

The St. Charles Police Department conducted additional traffic enforcement during the December 18 – January 4, 2021 campaign, reminding motorists to buckle up and not drive impaired, day or night, as part of the nationwide Click It or Ticket/Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement effort. The St. Charles Police joined other state and local law enforcement agencies across Illinois to reduce highway deaths by issuing citations to unbuckled motorists and arresting impaired drivers.

During the mobilization, St. Charles Police:

The St. Charles Police Department today announced that they will be participating in the states Drive sober or Get Pulled Over campaign during this year’s Christmas and New Year’s holiday season.

“As 2020 comes to an end, we want to make sure everyone is safe getting to and from their destinations,” said Commander Rich Clark. “Though travel is expected to be down this year, the importance of traffic safety and sober driving has not changed. We will continue to have extra officers on the streets looking for intoxicated motorists.”

The St Charles Police Department has seen a big increase of fraud reports from our citizens during the last couple of months. The majority of recent reports involve the unemployment scam. If you feel you’re a victim of this scam, do not activate the debit card you receive and immediately contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) at (800) 814-0513 or visit their website at (www2.illinois.gov/ides/Pages/Reporting_Unemployment_Insurance_Fraud.aspx.)

At 3:50 am on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, the St. Charles Fire Department was dispatched to Silverado at 4058 E. Main St. for a report of a fire in a resident’s room. Firefighters were on the scene by 3:55 a.m. and found there had been fire and smoke in a wall heater. At the time of arrival, no fire was evident due to a Silverado staff member discharging a dry chemical, ABC type extinguisher into the area of the wall heater. The smoke was contained to the resident’s room and hallway. The resident of the affected room was evacuated by Silverado staff.

The St. Charles Fire Department will be conducting fire hydrant flow testing at 345 Kautz Road and 235 Randall Road on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The test will begin at approximately 1:30 P.M. and finish by 3:30 P.M. the same day. Residents may experience rust in the water during or immediately after the testing procedure. The water is safe; however you may want to refrain from doing laundry until the water is clear.

At 9:05 a.m. on Friday, October 23, 2020, the St. Charles Fire Department was dispatched to 2508 Northwinds Drive for a report of light smoke coming from an apartment doorway. Firefighters were on the scene by 9:12 a.m. and found a small fire in the apartment’s kitchen area. The fire was brought under control with ten minutes.  

At 3:07 p.m. on Oct. 22, 2020, the St. Charles Fire Department was dispatched to 608 S. 4th Avenue for a report of smoke inside a single-family home. Firefighters were on the scene by 3:11 p.m. Firefighters were able to determine that the fire was in the structural framing behind the fireplace. Exterior siding and sheathing were removed to access and extinguish the fire.

As Halloween approaches, the St. Charles Police Department is partnering with law enforcement throughout the state to stop impaired driving and help save lives.   

The high-visibility “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign will run through the early morning hours of October 17th through November 2nd. During this period, motorists in St. Charles can expect to see stepped-up patrols for impaired driving and seatbelt enforcement, particularly at night when seatbelt usage rates are at their lowest. Speeders and distracted drivers should also be aware.

10/11/20 Update: Arrest Made – Charges Authorized – Victim’s Identity Released

St. Charles police detectives continued to investigate this matter through the weekend. A suspect and vehicle were taken in to police custody late Friday evening. This afternoon, charges were authorized by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

Arrested was:

Andrew J. Jensen (23 years old) of the 100 block of S. 13th Street in St. Charles.

Jensen has been charged with:

COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of our lives and has resulted in much loss...loss of a loved one, lost job, lost connections, loss of normalcy, and much more.

Join St. Charles Police Social Worker Sandra Rincon Oct. 7 for a virtual Zoom presentation about coping with loss due to COVID-19. Click here for information on how to register.

Read on for more information about the Police Department Social Worker