Elk Grove motel agrees to security measures after homicide
Under pressure that its local business license could be revoked, the corporate owner of an Elk Grove Village extended stay motel that was site of a homicide has agreed to install cameras, maintain 24/7 private security, and implement other safety measures requested by village officials.
“We are here to listen to you. We will do the things that we’re being asked to do in the spirit of partnership with the town,” InTown Suites CEO Hap Phillips told Mayor Craig Johnson at a hearing Tuesday. “And I look forward to making this hotel a better place and something that you hopefully will not be dealing with.”
Phillips vowed to communicate more with police and create a safe environment at the building.
“When we heard about this, it was kind of abrupt. We were disappointed with what happened,” Phillips said of the stabbing death of 50-year-old Colleen Bagley of Fox Lake, whose body was found Feb. 25 near a dumpster outside the motel. “We’re not taking guests willy-nilly at this hotel. We are selective. We do not rent to people if they’re not observing the rules and regulations.”
At an initial hearing March 18, Johnson threatened to shut down the business at Landmeier and Higgins roads. He also cited 14 pages of records going back two years of police calls and criminal incidents at the property, including aggravated and domestic batteries, assaults, robberies, thefts, drug activity, prostitution and kidnapping.
But during a license review commission meeting Tuesday afternoon, Johnson thanked InTown Suites management for addressing village officials’ immediate asks earlier this month — hiring private security, providing police access to the building with working key cards, and barring new guests from renting — and agreeing to a new set of terms and conditions for a 12-month probationary period.
The list agreed to Tuesday includes:
• Keeping 24/7 private security in place, and sharing any incident reports with police;
• Installation of 32 cameras covering building entrances, exits and hallways, and sharing surveillance with police on demand;
• Allowing police to install two Flock Safety cameras in the parking lot;
• Ensuring all vehicles in the lot are registered to a room, and towing all unregistered vehicles;
• Providing a 24/7 contact who can be reached by village and police officials;
• Limiting room rentals to one per person, and requiring identification for each renter and guest;
• Keeping a so-called “trespass list” of people known to frequent the property who have been previously cited or charged;
• Immediate response and cooperation with police requests;
• Providing mandatory regular housekeeping;
• Maintaining maximum occupancy per room;
• Having overdose-reversing medication Narcan available.
Under the agreement, InTown technically will have served a suspension retroactive to March 18, though it was allowed to stay open with the village’s interim conditions.
“My initial reaction is to yank your license,” Johnson told Phillips, backed by attorneys and other executives from the Atlanta-based chain. “However, I do give you and your organization credit. Here’s a list of concerns we wanted to address, and almost every single one you’ve agreed to. That’s impressive. You taking time coming down here, impressive.”
“We take a lot of pride in Elk Grove,” the mayor added. “When this comes up, it’s not only a black eye to your corporation, it’s a black eye to the community, and we don’t like black eyes. … A lot of strict things you’re going to abide to, and I commend you for accepting that.”