Normal Police Chief Stephen Petrilli

The elimination of cash bail as a means to detain people before trial has brought change to McLean County, including heavier workloads and lower jail populations, as officials navigate the implications of a massive rewrite of the state’s pretrial process.

Overall crime rates in the town of Normal have remained fairly static over the last five years, said Police Chief Stephen Petrilli, though weapons offenses and gun incidents jumped last year. Department reports showed a 79% increase in gun incidents and nearly 60% growth in weapons offenses. There were 52 gun incidents last year and 67 weapons offenses in the town.

The Town of Normal is using a youth fitness program as both community outreach and crime prevention.