Salem Police Department, Illinois

09/11/2026

09/09/2026

TC TUESDAY EPISODE 115

🚨🧪 YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS ARE NOT A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT 🧽☠️

We love a clean house.

We do NOT love accidentally creating toxic gas in the bathroom because you decided two cleaners would “work better together.” 😳

🧪 MORE CLEANER ≠ MORE CLEAN

Some common household products can create dangerous gases when mixed.

🚫 BLEACH + AMMONIA
This combination can release chloramine gases, which can cause coughing, burning eyes and throat, chest pain, shortness of breath, and serious lung injury.

🚫 BLEACH + ACIDS
That includes products containing acids such as some toilet-bowl cleaners, rust removers, and vinegar.

Mixing them can release chlorine gas.

And yes…

🚫 BLEACH + VINEGAR IS A NO.

Just because vinegar lives in the kitchen doesn’t mean it’s harmless when mixed with other chemicals. 🫠

🚫 DON’T MIX DIFFERENT DRAIN CLEANERS
Different formulas can react violently, creating heat, splashing corrosive chemicals, or releasing hazardous fumes.

🧽 THE SIMPLE RULE?

👉 Unless the product label specifically tells you otherwise, DON’T MIX CLEANING PRODUCTS.

Use one product at a time, follow the label directions, and make sure the area is properly ventilated.

🚨 UH-OH…I ALREADY MIXED THEM. NOW WHAT?

If you suddenly notice strong fumes, coughing, burning eyes or throat, dizziness, trouble breathing, or other symptoms:

🏃 GET OUT OF THE AREA AND INTO FRESH AIR.

🚪 Don’t hang around trying to “fix” your chemistry experiment.

🧪 Don’t add ANOTHER chemical trying to neutralize it.

🔥 Don’t create flames or sparks around unknown chemical vapors.

📞 From a safe location, contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for guidance.

🚑 If someone is having difficulty breathing, collapses, becomes severely ill, or you believe there is an immediate emergency — CALL 911.

And when you call, tell the telecommunicator exactly what products were involved if you know.

That information can be extremely important for the responders coming to help you.

09/04/2026

***Public Service Announcement***

The Salem Police Department has received questions recently about bicycles and whether or not they can be ridden on the sidewalks or roadways.

-State Law allows bicycles to share the roadway with vehicles. Bicyclists must obey all traffic signal and signs the same as vehicles. They must also signal when making turns or changing lanes.

-Motorists must give 3 ft of space when passing a bicyclist. If there is not 3 ft of space, motorists must wait until it is safe to pass.

-Under city ordinance, bicycles may be ridden on the sidewalk as well in most areas of town unless posted otherwise. Several streets near downtown are posted where bicycles are not allowed on sidwalks.

-While not required by law, helmets are encouraged for added safety.

Please keep these things in mind when riding a bicycle or driving a vehicle. Safety is all of our responsibility!

09/02/2026

🚨🔥 TC TUESDAY: EPISODE 114

CLOSE BEFORE YOU DOZE 🏠🚪

Before you crawl into bed tonight, check one thing:

🚪 Is your bedroom door closed?

It seems almost too simple to matter.

But during a house fire, that closed door can make a BIG difference.

🔥 WHY CLOSE BEFORE YOU DOZE?

A closed bedroom door can help slow the movement of:

💨 Smoke
🔥 Heat and flames
☠️ Carbon monoxide and other dangerous fire gases

It can also help keep more oxygen in the room while reducing the amount of oxygen feeding the fire from that space.

In other words…

🚪 A closed door creates a barrier between you and the fire.

And when seconds matter, time matters.

🏠 MAKE IT PART OF YOUR NIGHTLY ROUTINE:

🔸 Close bedroom doors before going to sleep.

🔸 Teach children why their doors should be closed, too.

🔸 Make sure you have working smoke alarms inside bedrooms, outside sleeping areas, and on every level of your home.

🔸 Have an escape plan and practice it.

🔸 Know two ways out whenever possible.

🔸 Pick a family meeting place outside so everyone knows where to go.

🚨 IF YOUR SMOKE ALARM SOUNDS:

Before opening your bedroom door, check it for heat.

If there’s smoke or fire outside your normal exit, DON’T run through it. Use your alternate escape route if you can safely do so.

Once you’re outside:

STAY OUT.

Don’t go back inside for your phone, purse, belongings, or anything else.

Call 911 from a safe location and tell the telecommunicator if anyone may still be inside.

🐶 And yes, we know you love your pets. Tell us they’re inside so firefighters know. Don’t put yourself back into the fire trying to find them.

08/27/2026

***Press Release attached***

Our School Resource Officer Vieira did an amazing job responding to this incident. We want to reassure parents that there was no information located to indicate a threat, however both the Salem Police and the Salem Community High School take safety very seriously. See the joint statement for further details.

Thank you to Marion County Sheriff's Office and Secretary of State Police for your assistance.

08/27/2026

Updated 3:20pm: all students have been dismissed. Still no known threat. Further details will be released in a press release later this evening.

***Press Release***

Salem Police is on scene at Salem Community High School investigating an incident.

There is NO ACTIVE THREAT known.

The school is in a temporary hold out of an abundance of caution for the security of the students.

Again, there is NO ACTIVE THREAT known at this time.

-Chief Rose

08/26/2026

🚨 TC TUESDAY EPISODE 113
AFTER THE CRASH WHERE ARE YOU WAITING? 🛞

The crash is over. You’ve called 911. Help is coming.

But you’re still standing next to the roadway.

One of the most dangerous places to be after a crash can be right beside the vehicles involved. Passing traffic may be distracted, visibility may be poor, and another driver may not realize traffic ahead has stopped until it’s too late.

⚠️ WHILE YOU WAIT FOR RESPONDERS:

🚗 If your vehicle can be safely moved, get it out of the travel lanes. Move to a shoulder, parking lot, or another safe location when possible.

📍 Get yourself away from moving traffic. Don’t stand between vehicles, beside the roadway, or in an active traffic lane to inspect damage.

🛑 Never stand between two crashed vehicles. A secondary collision could push one vehicle into the other.

🌙 At night, assume drivers DON’T see you. Darkness, weather, curves, hills, and flashing lights can make an already dangerous scene even more hazardous.

🚨 Follow the telecommunicator’s instructions. Depending on the crash, you may be told to remain in your vehicle or move to a safer location.

🔥 If there is fire, smoke, leaking fluids, or another immediate hazard, move away from the vehicle and tell the telecommunicator right away.

And remember…

📵 Don’t become the next crash. If you’re approaching an accident scene, slow down, put the phone down, give responders room, and pay attention to traffic control.

💛 The goal isn’t just getting help to the crash.

It’s making sure everyone stays safe until help gets there.

🚔🚒🚑 Slow Down. Move Over. Stay Alert.