Cook Co. sheriff ’s mechanics fix people’s car lights
Events provide chance to support area communities
Manuel Zavala has been working on cars since he was a teenager.
“It’s all I do,” he said. Four years ago, he started doing it for the Cook County’s sheriff’s office, which employs 18 mechanics and two supervisors to service its fleet of police vehicles. For a car guy, the job is a great behind-the-scenes look at how squads work.
“It’s a little bit different,” Zavala said. “They’ve got specialized equipment on there that no other vehicles have. It’s difficult, in a sense, but challenging and you learn every day.”
Zavala had the opportunity Thursday to give back to the community he serves when the sheriff ’s office held its fourth and thus far largest free vehicle light repair event at the Rich Township’s garage off Governors Highway in Richton Park.
Sheriff ’s automotive technicians changed vehicle lights for more than 60 registered participants, including headlights, taillights and license plate illumination. The sheriff ’s office has held two similar events in Ford Heights and another in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood in recent months.
“It’s something to give back, “Zavala said. “It’s just the community helping each other. That’s the best thing we can do.”
The aim of the program is to help residents avoid tickets, fees and traffic stops while improving road safety, according to the sheriff ’s office. But it also saves residents time and money. One driver estimated her headlight would have come to $110 elsewhere, with a complicated access point through the driver’s side wheel well.
Zavala said while many of the day’s replacements were fairly simple for trained technicians, some required removing panels, bumpers or other parts of the vehicle.
“It’s not as simple as ‘the average Joe can do it,’ ” Zavala said. “It’s more difficult than it used to be. That’s why some mechanics take advantage of people. They see somebody who doesn’t know about cars, they overcharge.”
Gregorio Abraham, who has been servicing vehicles for the sheriff ’s office for almost two years, said it can be tough to find people who know how to assist. He could tell their work meant a lot to the people who came through the garage.
“Sometimes we see older people who don’t have help,” Abraham said. “It’s hard. You think about your parents, how you would like to help. It’s nice to help people out.”
Kynessia Hall, who said she drove from the West Side of Chicago to get a taillight fixed, learned about the event from a friend on Facebook Messenger. Making the long drive was well worth it, she said.
“They just did this in five minutes,” Hall said. “I never had it done this fast.”
Hall said the event helped her resolve a safety issue, as now people behind her will see when she is signaling. She said she was happy to see police helping out and recognizing that a lot of people are having a hard time.
“It’s great,” she said. “No one wants to get pulled over and get tickets.”
For Ben Robertson, a seven-year auto tech for the sheriff ’s office, that feedback is a big part of what makes these events rewarding.
“Everyone’s on tight budgets right now with COVID and everything like that,” Robertson said. “To give something back, they’ve been extremely thankful. It’s a feel-good thing.”
Deputy Chief Marlon Parks said the word-ofmouth spread on social media has helped demand for the events grow exponentially. Just this August, 21 people registered for the first event in Ford Heights, with some learning about it through vouchers provided during traffic stops. Just three months later, registration is online, and more than 600 residents tried to sign up for the Thursday repairs.
“We were just blown away,” Parks said. “That just shows you how much people could use a little assistance.”
Parks said the Southland has been a focus because that is where police have seen the need for assistance, but future events will likely move around the county. The sheriff ’s office and its partners pair the vehicle light repair events with other services, such as COVID-19 vaccines, flu shots and distribution of fresh produce and feminine hygiene products.
“Every time we’re doing something, we’re trying to wrap something else around it,” Parks said.