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Department Structure

Administration

The Police Department's Administrative Division consists of the Chief of Police, a Deputy Chief of Police, an Administrative Commander, and an Executive Assistant.  This unit is responsible for the general administration of the Police Department, as well as strategic planning, staffing, and budgeting.  The executive management staff interacts with all units of City government to further the organizational mission.

Chief of Police

The Chief of Police is an appointed member of the municipal management team reporting directly to the City Manager. The Chief of Police is charged with the overall management responsibility for the department. 

Deputy Chief
The Deputy Chief of Police is an appointed administrative position reporting directly to the Chief of Police. The Deputy Chief of Police directly manages the department, exercising delegated powers in the stead of the Chief of Police when necessary. 

Administrative Commander
The Administrative Commander reports to the Deputy Chief of Police, and is responsible for managing administrative, training, and planning tasks within the Department, as well as conducting oversight for the Traffic Unit and Records Section. 

Investigations

Investigations Commander
The Investigations Commander is appointed by the Chief of Police and reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Police. The Investigations Commander is charged with the overall leadership, supervision and administration of all assigned Investigations personnel.

Adult Investigations

The Investigations Unit manages in-depth investigations that would not be possible for patrol officers to conduct. Major emphasis is placed on Part I offenses, such as homicide, robbery, criminal sexual assault, burglary and other types of serious criminal activity. In addition to crime prevention functions, another focus of this unit is the dissemination of intelligence information relating to gang trends, crime patterns and other pertinent data gained from monthly detective meetings. 

Juvenile Investigations 
Three full-time officers are responsible for staffing the Department's juvenile unit. One youth officer acts as a liaison with Highland Park High School District 113. Another youth officer acts as a liaison with School District 112, comprised of five primary grade schools, three junior high schools, the North Shore Academy and the many preschool facilities in the community. 

These specific assignments are part of an ongoing effort to provide early intervention when needed and maintain open lines of communication between students, school administrators and the department. The department’s school safety program is designed to familiarize youngsters with good safety habits. One youth officer oversees all youth-related juvenile investigations, associated court documents related to court referrals, domestic violence awareness programs and a peer jury program. 

Social Work Services

The Department has provides adults, juveniles, and families with critical social services for the resolution of individual and community challenges through the use of a contracted social worker. The social worker is not an investigative, enforcement, or intelligence gathering component of the police department, but functions as an asset providing professional assistance and referrals for those in need of social services.

Traffic Unit

Responsibilities
The Police Department’s Traffic unit, consisting of a Sergeant, an officer and three Community Service Officers is responsible for educational and enforcement efforts within the community. The primary goal of these efforts is the promotion of traffic safety (including pedestrians and cyclists) and the reduction of motor vehicle traffic accidents, in particular, those resulting in personal injury. The staff works closely with the City’s Transportation Commission to implement recommendations that have been approved by City Council

The staff coordinates and monitors the Department’s photo red-light enforcement program and conducts final review of all alleged violations. Additional responsibilities include review and approval of valet parking permits, review and recommendations for annual outdoor accessory use permits, review and response to parking citation complaints and research of grant opportunities. 

Ancillary Services
Additionally, community service officers in this unit provide a variety of ancillary services related to:

  • Domestic animal complaint and control
  • Investigation of animal bites
  • Maintenance of the pound facility
  • Evidence technician duties
  • Traffic control at accident scenes and events
  • General code enforcement 
  • Courier services

 

Patrol

Patrol Commander
The Patrol Commander is appointed by the Chief of Police. The Commander reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Police, and is charged with the overall leadership, supervision and administration of the Patrol Division.

Sergeants

Sergeants are supervisory civil service positions that report directly to the Patrol Commander. Sergeants control, plan and direct subordinates' work assignments to obtain maximum efficiency and effectiveness. 

Police Officers

Police officers are civil service sworn positions under the immediate direct supervision of a sergeant. Police officers are operational-level personnel that provide the direct delivery of services.

Division Responsibilities

The Patrol Division is divided into four platoons, each consisting of one sergeant and a squad of patrol officers. This uniformed division provides 24-hour police coverage, 365 days a year throughout the City and is responsible for responding to and investigating all types of complaints and calls for service. 

The primary function of this division is responding to emergency calls for service, crime prevention and traffic safety. These objectives are accomplished through adequate staffing and random patrol tactics that focus on maintaining a visible profile throughout the community. Sound patrol techniques directly correlate with the prevention of crime and the apprehension of criminal suspects. 

Contact
You can contact the on-duty shift supervisor by calling 847.432.7730.

Records

The Records Unit serves as an answering point for citizen inquiries, both by phone and walk-in, during normal business hours. The unit is responsible for data entry, management and retention of case reports, accident reports, traffic citations and warnings, demographics, parking citations and administrative hearing citations. 

Additional responsibilities include: false alarm notices and alarm permitting, issuance of annual residential parking permits, processing of FOIA requests, expungements and records requests, departmental purchasing, extra job and special event coordination, billing and cash receipting.

For information regarding obtaining a police report, please visit Police Records.