The Bonding and lock up area of the Oak Lawn Police Department is staffed 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The purpose of the lock up area is to process all pretrial arrest paperwork on all people arrested by the police department.

When a person is brought into the lock up we identify the person being arrested through several methods. All people arrested are asked a series of questions to help identify them. Then they are fingerprinted. Their fingerprints are sent to the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification. This reveals exactly who the person is, if the person has ever been arrested before and the background on what type of crimes this person has committed in the past. Finally the person arrested is photographed to help identify them in the future. Once their identity is established the officer fills out a complaint and formally charges the individual with the crime.

 

 Arrestee’s fingerprints are sent electronically to

 The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification

 

Once a person is processed, depending on the severity of the crime, they are eligible to post a bond. If the person cannot produce bond money or is charged with a crime that has no preset bond they are placed into a cell to await a bond hearing. When it is time for the bond hearing the arrestees are transported to the 5^th district court house in Bridgeview to appear before a judge.

 

The Lock-Up facility of the Oak Lawn Police Department is a state of the art facility. It has 8 cells for male prisoners, 4 cells that are segregated and are used for females, 2 juvenile holding rooms and one cell for “high risk” prisoners that need special attention. Additionally there are 2 “mass” holding cells, one for arrestees arriving and awaiting processing and one larger cell that can be used to hold up to 2 dozen people in the unusual circumstance of the arrest of a large number of people.  

 

To facilitate the booking process the lock-up has a photo room, multiple processing areas and multiple fingerprinting stations. The lock-up office has closed circuit television allowing all areas of the facility to be monitored simultaneously and computer equipment to assist in the identification process. There is even a kitchen to prepare food and drink for arrestees who must stay for any length of time.

Because the lock-up facility at the Oak Lawn Police Department is state of the art and well staffed, other police agencies use the facility to hold arrestees until they can be brought before a judge. Some agencies use it rarely and some agencies pay a fee and use it exclusively rather than keeping and staffing a lock-up facility of their own.

 

        The detention aides can also perform fingerprinting services for citizens, who for legal or employment reasons, need their arrest history ( or lack of one ) verified. There is a fee for this service and an appointment is necessary. Appointments can be made by calling (708) 499-7736.