Village Profile Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us

Policing on a Positive Note

Itasca Police Chief Scott Heher hopes you are noticing a lot more police activity in your neighborhood. That doesn’t mean crime is up – it’s not! In fact, major crime is down. It is all part of Itasca’s new neighborhood policing plan. Since Chief Heher, a lifelong member of the Itasca police force, was named to the top spot in 2003, he has activated a number of new policing initiatives designed to ramp up crime prevention and enhance positive interactions with the community.

Itasca combines the best of both worlds, Heher says. It has held on to its historic small-town atmosphere, while building a bustling commercial and business community that helps keep the municipal tax rate low. Though residents number only about 8,300, that number swells to more than 45,000 on a daily basis due to the many corporate and industrial workers, tourists and visitors. Its strategic location in the network of Chicago’s major highways, expressways, and commuter railroads also contributes to the thousands of travelers to and through Itasca each day.

In 2006 the department began the neighborhood policing system, similar to the old “beat cop” idea. Police officers on each shift were assigned to one of five neighborhoods, where they actively get to know the people and businesses and build personal relationships. Police officers might stop by a block party, visit a business, or assist in local projects. In turn, this generates more trust and dialogue with people in the neighborhood, as well as helps identify issues so that the police can act on them more quickly should a problem arise.

Last year, for instance, the police teamed up with a concerned neighborhood group on a traffic safety issue by facilitating work with county officials to obtain a right turn lane.

Other new initiatives include the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Citizens on Patrol program. The Community Emergency Response Team is composed of a group of volunteers who are trained in light search and rescue, and basic life skills. These volunteers are ready to help the community recover more quickly in the event of a disaster. So far more than 60 residents have joined the program and are ready and able to help.

“CERT is a great program for us, and an integral part of our emergency management plan,” said Chief Heher.

Citizens on Patrol was started at the request of volunteers who wanted to take the CERT program a step further to include help with crime prevention. This active group of volunteers wears special clothing that identifies them as part of the program and works to provide extra eyes and ears for the police. They help with such day-to-day tasks as vacation house watches and crime prevention sweeps through parking lots.

The department is launching several additional programs designed to interact with community members and prevent problems. The Senior Home Inspection Program (SHIP) works in conjunction with the Fire Department to conduct life safety, security and fire safety checks. Officers are available to inspect homes for potential problems, and will make recommendations on such things as secure door or window locks, lighting, electrical hazards and smoke detectors. This free program educates homeowners and helps them take steps to mitigate issues before they become serious.

Volunteers for the elder services unit are also available to make checks, either by phone or in person, with older people living on their own. An emergency response system for children and families with special health care needs is also available.

“Fight Like a Girl” is an empowering and preventative program which launched in August. The Itasca Police Department will conduct a self-defense class for young women in high school or college. Girls will learn to become more aware of their surroundings, and be taught to use the strengths of a woman to fight against a male attacker.

The Department also hosted its 3rd annual National Night Out on August 7. Itasca’s award winning program is part of a unique nationwide crime/drug prevention event. National Night Out involves local citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, and neighborhood organizations in a fun and educational evening designed to send a message to criminals that communities are organized and fighting back.

The idea of community policing is to make the Police Department more approachable, and to earn trust and make connections within the community. “The community is an active partner in crime prevention,” Heher says. “Crime prevention is everyone’s business.”

For more information about any of the Itasca Police Department programs, phone the non-emergency number at 630-773-1004.