The robbery of a Carpentersville computer store in September, which left one person dead, has prompted village officials to place a new law on businesses that offer check-cashing services.
Passed by trustees Dec. 6, the new ordinance states those businesses must have safety and security measures in place due to them holding large amounts of cash on site, which, prior to the ordinance, made them more vulnerable to armed robberies, village officials said in a news release.
Those measures include having a security guard on site when fewer than 20 employees are on the premises; installing interior and exterior video cameras that record continuously; preserving those recordings for at least 30 days and making them available to the Police Department; posting signs notifying the public that video surveillance is being conducted; ensuring exterior windows are not obscured in any way; and storing cash not in immediate use behind two locked doors in a safe.
The use of exterior phones, security bars, and rollup doors are also prohibited, according to the ordinance, which will take effect May 1, 2017.
“This ordinance puts into place safeguards and procedures that, when utilized, will make a business less inviting to someone looking for an easy target to rob,” said Carpentersville Police Chief Michael J. Kilbourne.
He said the ordinance does not in itself stop the lawful practice of cashing checks.
“it simply requires businesses who wish to offer the services to do so in a safe, controlled manner that protects the safety of not only the employees but customers as well,” he said.
The ordinance is a result of a review of the Sept. 7 armed robbery and resulting homicide at Oscarin’s Computers, in the 1600 block of Ravine Lane, according to the release.
Bobby Heard, 32, formerly of Carpentersville, is accused of multiple counts of murder, armed robbery, robbery and armed violence for his role in the incident.
Prosecutors charged Heard with murder by way of the state’s accountability statute because a second man involved in the robbery, Kenyon Slater, died while the pair were committing a forcible felony — armed robbery.
According to authorities, Heard and Slater entered the store during the evening Sept. 7 and, armed with handguns, confronted the store’s owner and an employee. They used nylon zip ties to restrain the workers while demanding money, court records state, noting the pair grabbed “some phones and approximately $15,000 cash” during the robbery.
One of the men — it is not stated in the documents whether it was Heard or Slater — struck the store employee in the head with a gun.
The employee was able to free himself and retrieve a gun he legally had in the store, according to documents. He followed Heard and Slater as they fled and, after they pointed their guns at him, opened fire, fatally wounding Slater, who later died at a nearby hospital, according to authorities and court filings. Carpentersville police responded to a 911 call of shots fired about 7:30 p.m.
This subsequently led to the Carpentersville Police Department identifying a second business in town, one that also offers cash-checking services, at which four armed robberies had occurred in the past five years, officials said.
“I challenged the village attorney, police department, and community development department to work together to make a reasonable change to current village code to address this public safety issue,” said Village Manager Mark Rooney. “We pride ourselves in being a learning and adaptive organization.”
This collaborative effort led to this ordinance, which sets forth reasonable safety procedures for businesses to follow if they wish to cash checks in exchange for a service fee, officials said.
“The Community Development Department has been working closely with the Police Department and business community to help protect our citizens and businesses, and will continue to do so as we implement the ordinance,” said Marc Huber, assistant village manager/director of community development.
Courier-News freelance reporter Dan Campana contributed.
Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
