EGR residents and community members,
A recent incident in Gaslight Village has led to a community conversation. With the investigation now closed, I want to provide some details in an effort to be as transparent with you as possible and clarify why Public Safety must take all reports of alleged crimes seriously.
On Jan. 15, an officer was dispatched to EGR High School at 8:18 a.m. The officer took a report of an alleged hit-and-run involving a student that reportedly occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the corner of Wealthy Street and Croswell Avenue.
The student told the officer she was hit by a small gray car driven by a Black male. These details were crucial to identifying the driver and were part of our investigation. Since we had limited information about the driver, we asked the community for help in identifying them. This request helped lead our officers to the facts in this incident.
Upon further investigation, which included security camera footage from around the business district, our officers determined the incident did not occur as reported. Our officers also had conversations with the driver, who is a female and who provided details about the incident, sharing she did not hit the student.
Our officers determined the driver's account was supported by our findings and the incident did not occur as the student reported. We thank the driver for coming forward and sharing her account. As law enforcement officers, it is our duty to take every report of alleged crime seriously, investigate the incident and uncover the truth. This is critically important to the community’s safety and to our department’s responsibility to follow the necessary investigative measures set in place.
As I have shared before, I am happy to discuss our department’s procedures and approach with anyone who is interested. We are committed to transparency and strong relationships with the community we serve.
In partnership,
Chief Herald