Police Operations
Community-oriented policing, relationship building, and quality customer service represent the cornerstone of the Lindenhurst Police Department’s organizational philosophy. The members of the Lindenhurst Police Department will work together to achieve organizational goals and objectives and also embrace and adhere to each one of the pillars identified in the White House Task Force report on 21st Century Policing:
Simply put, if relationships and collaboration can be established between police departments and the communities they serve, the legitimacy of the department, in the eyes of the public, is enhanced. The community develops higher trust and more fully engages the department and its team members. This also provides a stronger foundation on which the entire community can better survive a critical incident involving the police.
Pillar Two: Policy and Oversight
Policies and procedures should reflect community values and should be open to oversight by members of the community. Policies should account for the nature of contact with members of the community (demographic data collection) and policies should be reviewed often to ensure they are current with best practices and new law.
Pillar Three: Technology and Social Media
The use of technology and social media to increase transparency, accountability, and engagement must be embraced. As our communities become more entwined with social media and never-ending news cycles, police departments must engage the community in a timely and open manner. As accountability tools are made more readily available, departments should strive to incorporate them into their practices.
Police departments must embrace partnerships and collaborations with community groups. Such relationships can identify problems before they become unmanageable. Relationships built between the community and police departments should allow for a culture of respect for all with every person’s dignity always left intact.
As the world, society and our communities become more complex, more is being asked of our police officers. Police departments need to adapt to evolving community needs and problems. Training must stay current with these developing and changing situations. Police departments should embrace training that assists with mental health issues as well as complex societal issues.
The Patrol Section is responsible for responding to emergency and non-emergency call for service. The Patrol Section is staffed with ten (10) Patrol Officers, two (2) Sergeants, and one (1) Commander. Additionally, the Patrol Section is staffed with five (5) part-time sworn police officers and one (1) part-time Community Service Officer. All members are responsible for the protection of life and property and for maintaining peace and order. All members spend much of their non-obligated time conducting self-initiated activities and addressing community concerns. The Patrol Section maintains a visible presence in the community that instills confidence and a sense of security. Patrol officers are responsible for the initial investigation of all crimes and traffic crashes. Patrol officers work hand-in-hand with the community to identify, address, and solve crimes and concerns.
The Community Service Officer (C.S.O.) actively identifies and responds to complaints of property maintenance, other code, and ordinance violations. The goal is to educate community members about the ordinances and seek voluntary compliance to resolve violations. To learn more about code enforcement, please visit the Police Department's Code Enforcement page.
The C.S.O. also answers service-related calls such as fingerprinting requests, minor traffic accident reports, traffic control, fire department assists, lock outs, house watches, citizen and business assists, funeral escorts, animal complaints, motorist assists, school crossings, etc.
The Investigations Coordinator is responsible for investigating crimes and other incidents to find and implicate perpetrators. The Investigations Coordinator also follows up on preliminary investigations initiated by patrol personnel. Other responsibilities include: Gathering, coordinating and disseminating intelligence information for effective prevention of criminal activity or apprehension, coordination of Grand Jury appearances and warrant services, and background investigations of Village license and employment applicants.
The purpose of the bike patrol unit is to enhance effective police services by fostering a strong community policing presence. This proactive approach allows bike officers to build relationships and trust in the community by interacting with residents and businesses to help address their problems and concerns. Bike officers also teach children about bicycle safety.
Evidence Technicians are specially trained officers that collect, process, and safeguard evidence from crime scenes for future forensic analysis. Their duties include but are not limited to crime scene photography, fingerprint examination, footwear/tire wear impression collection, and DNA collection. The collection of evidence further supports the investigation for potential future prosecution.
The Village of Lindenhurst adheres to regulations as outlined in the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, as it relates to obtaining copies of police reports and other documents. The Village encourages requesters to submit their requests on the form provided by the Village. This form can be found on the Village website, or hard copies are available at the Village Hall and Police Department. Requests can also be made in person or sent via electronic mail. The Village will review all requests in any form. The Village will respond to each request for public records in a manner consistent with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Requests will be responded to within five (5) business days.
Copies of Traffic Crash reports are available to purchase online for $15.00 within 3 to 5 working days after the accident. To obtain a copy of a crash report, go online to https://policereports.lexisnexis.com.
View FOIA Request Form
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is a multi-jurisdictional Task Force that investigates serious incidents such as homicides, officer involved shootings, and in-custody deaths. These specifically trained officers assist agencies in these serious investigations for the potential of a successful outcome. The department currently has an Investigator and Evidence Technician assigned to this unit.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) is a multi-jurisdictional team that investigates and reconstructs traffic crashes involving serious injuries or death. The department has one traffic crash investigator assigned to MCAT with specialized training in major traffic crash investigations.
The police department has one officer that participates in the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) Mutual Aid Response Team, also recognized as Mobile Field Forces (Region 4). Mobile Field Force provides a rapid, organized, and disciplined response to civil disorder and public safety emergencies that may occur during the distribution of pharmaceuticals from the National Strategic Stockpile, weapons of mass destruction incidents, emergency situations, including natural or man-made disasters of various types, and routine local and statewide mutual aid which exceeds the effective ability of local enforcement.