Village Tackles Crime at Red Roof Inn

After a rash of crimes at the Red Roof Inn in the last three months including drugs, guns and prostitution, Deerfield is taking a look at legislation to put a stop to it.

Since Oct. 30, there have been five arrests involving prostitution, one with a gun and another for drugs, according to Deerfield Police reports. In June, shots were fired in the parking lot and two men staying at the motel were apprehended.

“We don’t want to be at odds with a business but we have values we strive for and we don’t want to see them violated,” Mayor Harriet Rosenthal said.

The first thing Deerfield is doing is taking a look at ordinances in other municipalities with similar situations, according to Village Manager Kent Street. “We want to be in the position to prod the owner and have the enforcement resources to be able to negotiate an end to what’s been going on there,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Deerfield Police Department is being more vigilant. “We’ve increased our patrols there,” Deerfield Police Chief John Sliozis said. “We’re asking our officers to take a walk through while on patrol.”

Sliozis is concerned not only by the large number of calls his department receives but the nature of the complaint. “There are certainly an inordinate number of police calls and it is the type of calls,” he said referring to the crimes and arrests made.

As it stands, Deerfield’s business licensing ordinance limits enforcement for a high crime area, according to Street. The Red Roof Inn does have a special use license that goes with its zoning which could come into play.

“Getting a business to behave as it should be is what we’re going to take a look at,” Street said.

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