Bethany, Illinois Police Department

05/21/2026

Scam/Fraud Alert

The Police Department has received information that residents are receiving scam phone calls that appear to come from local banks. In many cases, the caller ID may display the actual bank’s phone number. This is known as “caller ID spoofing.”

The callers may claim there is fraud on your account and attempt to obtain personal or banking information.

Please remember:

Never provide account numbers, debit card numbers, PINs, passwords, or verification codes over the phone. Hang up and contact your bank directly using a trusted phone number.
Do not rely solely on caller ID, as scammers can manipulate the number displayed.

If you believe you may have provided information to a scammer:

Contact your bank immediately
Monitor your accounts for unauthorized activity
Report the incident to local law enforcement

05/04/2026

Check out our Instagram

03/30/2026

🚨 A note of concern for our local families
This afternoon I sat in the high school parking lot and watched students leaving school. Roughly 75% of the kids I could clearly see were not wearing their seatbelts. It was honestly concerning to see.

On top of that, we’re noticing more cannabis use and drivers operating under the influence on our roads lately, which makes every trip riskier than it should be , even during daylight hours on familiar roads.

As parents, you know your kids best. If it feels right for your family, have a conversation about always buckling up. It could make a real difference. Seatbelts are still the simplest and most effective way to protect them if something unexpected happens out there.

We’re all in this together trying to keep our kids safe!

12/01/2025

🚨 PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT 🚨

The Bethany-Findlay Road (Shelby County portion) remains completely untreated and is solid ice after the recent winter storm—creating extremely hazardous conditions for motorists, especially young drivers. The Moultrie County side on the exact same road is treated very well and clear.

Drivers: Exercise extreme caution on the Bethany-Findlay Road when you are coming from or going into Shelby County.

10/30/2025

Due to the recent post about speeding on St. John St., I decided to go back and pull the traffic data. See Below:

Location: St. John St. from 4way to HS

Time Frame: 9/29/25 - 10/30/25 8:00am
Total Number of Vehicles: 8169
Average Speed: 25mph
Highest Speed recorded: 53 mph
% of vehicles speeding at any given time frame: 14%

Speed (mph) Count
1-5 585
6-10 707
11-15 914
16-20 961
21-25 1252
26-30 1293
31-35 940
36-40 1241
41-45 239
46-50 30
51-55 7

During this time period, between 8am and 9am is the busiest the road is. If I isolate that time frame, I can see the following.

The average speed is 23mph. The average % of vehicles speeding is 31%. This is the timeframe however where we recorded a 53mph.

This is based on a 30mph speed zone. School zones (20) and regular speed limit (30) fluctuate because the 20 mph only applies on school days when children are PRESENT. That means when you see "speeding" it's considered 30mph plus.

This does not count the sign coming into town from the south.

10/17/2025

Parade Route will turn east one block south of usual route and come back down St John.

The homecoming parade is scheduled for 1:00 tomorrow. Please see the photo for the parade route. Have a great day.

09/26/2025

🚨 Scam Alert for Seniors — Don’t Fall for “Family” Calls Using AI Voice Cloning

What’s happening:
Scammers are using artificial intelligence to create fake voice recordings that sound like your relatives. They might say something like, “Grandma, I’m in trouble — wire me money now!” The voice can sound very real because it’s cloned from short videos or voice messages posted online.

How to spot the scam:

*** The caller pressures you to act immediately (wire money, buy gift cards, send Bitcoin).

***They insist you don’t contact anyone else.

***The caller asks for unusual payment methods (gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency).

***The story sounds dramatic but details are fuzzy.

What to do — QUICK STEPS:

1. Hang up — don’t stay on the line.

2. Call the family member on a number you already have (not a number they give you).

3.Ask a verification question only your family would know (pet’s name, a shared memory).

4. Do NOT send money, share passwords, or buy gift cards for callers.

5. If money was sent, contact your bank immediately and let them know.

6. Report the call to your local police non-emergency line and to the platform where the scam started (Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.).

7. Tell neighbors and other family members — sharing helps stop more victims.

How to reduce the risk:

Limit how many videos/voice clips of your loved ones you post publicly.

Set social media accounts to private and review privacy settings.

Turn off voice- and video-tagging where possible.

Enable two-factor authentication on accounts.

Teach family members (especially younger relatives) to avoid posting many short audio/video clips that contain lots of speaking.

If you’ve been scammed:

Contact your bank or credit card company right away.

Call your local police non-emergency number to file a report. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911.

Keep records of the call (phone number, time, what was said).

Need help or have questions?
Contact us at 217-665-3111 or visit the station. Please share this post — it could stop a scam in your neighborhood.

08/30/2025

Welcome Ashley Warner to the Bethany Police Department. Ashley is due to graduate the police academy on Friday and will begin training at Bethany PD the following week! Ashley worked previously with the Macon County Sheriffs Department

08/22/2025

In Illinois, golf carts that are legally allowed to operate on public roadways under a local ordinance must still follow all applicable rules of the road, including stopping for school buses when the stop arm is extended.

Under Illinois law (625 ILCS 5/11-1414), all vehicles, including low-speed vehicles like golf carts (if authorized by the municipality), are required to stop when approaching a school bus that is picking up or dropping off children and has its stop arm extended and lights flashing.
So even if a golf cart is street-legal under a local ordinance, the driver is still subject to statewide traffic laws, including those designed to protect children near school buses.

Violating this can result in fines and a license suspension.