Welcome to our website and thank you for your interest in the Highland Park Police Department. The HPPD consists of 82 dedicated employees who serve a community of over 30,000 residents. I strongly believe that our police department is a reflection of our community, so in order to understand our department you must know some characteristics about our City.

Highland Park is an outstanding city in which our residents take great pride. Many residents are multi-generational; their parents lived here as well as grandparents. We have a vibrant downtown business district that not only serves Highland Park, but it attracts many visitors from the surrounding suburbs. We are home to the Ravinia Music Festival. Ravinia hosts numerous events through the spring and into the fall. This attracts thousands from throughout the Chicagoland area. In general, our citizens enjoy a high quality of life, low crime rate and they are provided with excellent city services.

The City and its residents also embrace the principle that "Character Counts". This is reflected by an active program by that name which encourages the adoption of six values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. These values transcend cultural, socioeconomic and religious differences. This program focuses on developing our youth and is a powerful tool which highlights these significant values. They help to provide leadership and build positive character in our community. They are values that members of the police department must demonstrate each day in their interaction with the community.

Since being appointed chief of police in July 2003, I have learned that the HPPD is staffed by highly qualified and dedicated people. They are committed to providing professional police services and they seek to continuously improve. We are keenly aware of our responsibilities and understand our role within the concept of the community.

It is my goal for our department to take our service to the next level. We will continue our partnership with the community by seeking opportunities to further challenge our officers with responsibility for problem solving initiatives. In August of 2006, we moved into a new state of the art police facility. This building and its equipment is a direct reflection of our City’s commitment to provide us with the resources we need to serve our citizens. Our mission continues to be the provision of exceptional police services that meet and exceed national standards. As such, the Highland Park Police Department is recognized and accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). In summary, the Highland Park Police Department is proud to serve our residents and visitors. We have the resources and staff to provide outstanding police services to our community and I am honored to be their Chief of Police.

Sincerely,
Paul Shafer, Chief of Police