D.A.R.E. Trading Card Program

The Lake in the Hills Police Department instituted its D.A.R.E. trading card program in 1996. Children were encouraged to approach Police Officers and ask for the D.A.R.E. trading card of the week. The first 15 children that collected all of the cards and presented them at the Police Station or to an Officer were treated to a pizza party and magic show.

The objective of the program was for the child to interact with an individual Officer on a one to one basis and for the child to recognize Officers by name. The Lake in the Hills program used the "card of the week" concept. Each Officer had the same card for an entire week, that card was retired and another Officer's card was available. This concept allowed the child to learn the names and faces of all the Officers, not just those that they saw on patrol, but of Administrative, Command and Support personnel.

The cards are uniform in appearance, with individual Officers pictured in varying aspects of Law Enforcement Activities. An Officer's picture was on the front and a short biography is on the back of the card.  Adults and children alike are encouraged to introduce themselves to the Officers and request their cards. 

Children who have collected the cards of all Police Department personnel are encouraged to participate in the Trading Card Event.  Each year the event changes, and this year the winners of this contest will be treated to an afternoon at Chuck E Cheese’s in Crystal Lake.  The date for this event will be announced at a later date.  Please watch marquees, newspapers and this web site for updates.

Bicycle Registration

The Lake in the Hills Police Department encourages all residents to register their bicycles at the Police Department or at a (Bike Rodeo).  A registration sticker is placed on the bicycle and an information card which includes owner information, bicycle make and model, as well as serial number are kept on file at the station.  Registration provides an additional crime prevention tool for Police.

Bicycle Rodeos and Safety Education

During the month of May the Lake in the Hills Police Department conducts numerous Bike Rodeos in the various subdivisions throughout the Village. The course follows the specific guidelines set forth by the Illinois Secretary of State for safe and proper bicycle riding. The course tests good bicycle handing, riding and safety procedures. The participants are scored and receive a ribbon based on their final score. Each bike is given a safety inspection by the Lake in the Hills Police Department and can be (registered) at the same time.  This program is open to children of all ages, is free of charge and requires no pre-registration.

Scout Uniform Inspections

The Lake in the Hills Police Department will provide a uniformed Police Officer to do uniform inspections for your scout group.  Please contact the Community Relations/Crime Prevention Division of the Lake in the Hills Police Department at (847) 658-5676 to reserve your date.  A safety talk and station tour can be given in conjunction with the inspection.

Family Oriented Programs

Lunch with a Cop
 

The Lake in the Hills Police Department hosts their Lunch with a Cop program annually.  It includes a pizza lunch, a puppet show and safety tips. The Police Department also provides child identification cards to the kids. The cards contain information that includes the child’s vital information, medical history and a photograph. The lunch, pizza and pop, are served to the children (and parents) by members of the Lake in the Hills Police Department. The entire program is free and is an excellent opportunity for young children to realize that the police are their friends and someone that they should come to for help. This program is free of charge but, requires a reservation. To make a reservation or to get more information on this program call the Community Relations/Crime Prevention Division at 847-658-5676.

National Night Out

The Lake in the Hills Police Department participates in the National Town Watch Association’s ‘National Night Out Against Crime’. Events include block parties throughout the Village, a Beach Party, a Car Show, and a Community Cookout.

The Block Parties will be on Tuesday, August 3rd from 7:00 p.m. till 10:00 p.m. and can be hosted by any resident who wants to host one.  All they need to do is register with the Police Department. Some of last year’s party hosts hired DJs and rented moonwalks. They can be as simple as a small gathering or as elaborate as a picnic buffet and cookout, it’s up to the host.

The Beach Party takes place on Saturday, July 31st from 11:00 p.m. till 2:00p.m. at Indian Trail Beach on Indian Trail. Admission fees are waived for all attendees between the hours of the Beach Party.  The concession stand opens for all to purchase snacks and refreshments and activities include a sand sculpture contest, water games, sand volleyball, three legged races and hula-hoop contests to name a few. Prizes are awarded (to kids for fun).

The Car Show will be on Sunday, August 8th from 8:00 a.m. till 4:00 p.m. at Sunset Park, 5200 Haligus Road. At the show will not only be many beautiful custom cars but also Police D.A.R.E. and other specialty vehicles and race cars. Come do the ‘Whack-a-Car’. For $1.00 you can take a whack at our ‘anticrime’ car and help us KNOCK crime out of our town. Spectator admission is free, cars are $15. All car show proceeds go to support various police department community programs.

The Community Cookout will be on Saturday, July 31st from 5:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. at the Lake in the Hills Village Hall, 600 Harvest Gate.  

This is an excellent opportunity for our village to state loud and clear that we are saying NO to crime and drugs in our neighborhoods. Join in and give crime a going away party. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Crime Prevention/Community Relations Division at the Lake in the Hills Police Department at 847-658-5676.

Crime Prevention Programs

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

The well-worn cliché coined by Benjamin Franklin, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure", seems an appropriate way of introducing the role of the Lake in the Hills Police Department in supporting both public and private activities of the community. Law enforcement agencies, in general, are the only major governmental service that are not included in the review and approval process of planning, zoning, traffic, and environmental design decisions.

It can be shown that the design decisions concerning the physical environment of a particular area can inherently contribute to crime and the underlying fear of crime. Poorly lighted and deserted street layouts, easily entered doors and windows, routine pedestrian and vehicle patterns and landscape designs that offer concealment for the criminal are just a few examples.

The degree of attractiveness of any given location says a lot about its owners and/or occupants and the type of people who frequent the location. On the other hand, it may also say a lot about the mistakes that are made by various public agencies and private developers which end up making victims and sometimes even hostages out of the residents. Whatever the reason, the atmosphere of any area gives off environmental cues that tell an individual whether that are safe or not.

This then is what Crime Prevention Through Environment Design is all about.

Definition
The National Crime Prevention Institute defines Crime Prevention Through Environment Design (CPTED) as "the proper DESIGN and the proper USE of the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear and the incidence of crime, and an improvement in the quality of life.” What this all says is that the better we manage our human and physical resources, the greater our profit, and the lower the loss, of course that applies to business as well as a residential neighborhood. In the residential neighborhood, profit translates to protection of property values and improved quality of life. In the business neighborhood, profit translates to the economic bottom line', to continued economic growth and as a direct result, increased property and sales tax revenues. In both of the situations the by-product is crime prevention.

A common misconception shared by the public, the media and to some extent our elected Officials is that the traditional reactive approach of law enforcement is working. However, consider the following:

1. Only 21% of the nearly 12 million serious crimes reported to the Police in 1986 were ever solved, according to the FBI.
2. Only 35% of all crimes committed were actually reported to the Police. Considering the percentage cited in #1 above, the true solution rate is closer to 5-7%, as noted in the National Crime Surveys, U.S. Department of Justice.
3. Some 15% of the cost of consumer goods in the United States is due to employee theft and shoplifting, according to the U.S. Camber of Commerce.
4. According to the Hallcrest Report on Private Security in the U.S. , estimates on the undetected or unacknowledged losses to American business vary from 25 to 625 billion dollars a year.

Certainly that must suggest that the traditional reactive law enforcement response is not effective. It also follows that something more basic than education and the target-hardening oriented crime prevention must be undertaken. By adopting CPTED, the emphasis on design and use deviates from traditional target-hardening approach to crime prevention. Traditional target-hardening focuses predominantly on barrier techniques (such as locks, alarms, fences, and gates). Target-hardening often leads to limitation on the use, access, and overall enjoyment of the hardened target. In addition, the traditional approach tends to overlook the opportunities for natural access control and surveillance.

The term natural here refers to deriving access control and surveillance results as a by-product of the normal and routine use of the environment. So it is possible to adapt normal and natural uses of the environment to accomplish the same desired results as the use of traditional physical barrier techniques.

Implementation
There are a number of compelling reasons that lead the Lake in the Hills Police Department to be involved in CPTED:

1. CPTED concepts have been proven to enhance community activities while reducing crime problems.
2. CPTED concepts are fundamental to traditional law enforcement values, in terms of helping the community to function properly.
3. CPTED requires the unique information sources and the inherent knowledge of the community that is endemic to the law enforcement.
4. CPTED problems and issues bear a direct relationship to repeated calls-for-service and crime producing situations.
5. CPTED methods and techniques can directly improve property values, business profitability and industrial productivity, thereby enhancing local tax basis.
6. CPTED concepts, when applied properly can and will enhance not only the community standing of the Police Department but of the Village as a whole.

The Lake in the Hills Police Department will be formally involved in the review and approval process of all community, residential, industrial, school and business building projects. This involvement is active and creative, rather than just passive and reactive.

The Lake in the Hills Police department is not to be viewed as the final authority in the planning process but as an equal partner. The objective is to incorporate CPTED principles into the building codes of the Village and to set up a review of planned development. The Officer(s) assigned to this project will develop and maintain a professional working relationship with all the governmental and private agencies involved in the planning process.

Certainly the major stumbling blocks to effective working relationships are ineffectual communication and the lack of understanding of the competing needs. Therefore, the Officer(s) selected for this project have been highly trained through an institution that specializes in CPTED, The National Crime Prevention Institute at the University of Louisville in Kentucky . What is taught universally by CPTED advocates is that the role of law enforcement and specifically the Lake in the Hills Police Department will be one to ask questions, share ideas and provide valuable information and insight that would not ordinarily be available to builders, planners and designers.

For further information on CPTED and the Lake in the Hills Police Department's implementation of this program please contact the Community Relations/Crime Prevention Division at (847) 658-5676.

Residential and Business Evaluations, Inspections and Security
Recommendations

A security survey is a means of identifying potential targets of criminal activity. It will include an on-site analysis of the residential facility, the identification of crime producing conditions, and the formulation of a plan to reduce criminal opportunity. The survey will determine existing physical and procedural weaknesses and to recommend such devices, procedures and methods that will reduce or eliminate exposure to criminal opportunity. The recommendations will stay within a reasonable cost/risk range and remain below a level that would not impede the crime prevention goals of the business or homeowner. The security survey and recommendations are not intended to make the site "Burglar-Proof," "Theft-Proof," etc. They will reduce the probability of losses occurring if properly applied and maintained.  This service is by appointment only and is free of charge.  To make an appointment or get more information you can call the Community Relations/Crime Prevention Division at 847-658-5676.

The survey follows these steps:

1. Identify and explain procedural phases of a security survey.

2. Identify the various crime risks to which the homeowner is exposed.

3. Recommend crime prevention techniques that will remove or reduce these risks.

4. Conduct a security survey.

5. Prepare a survey report.

Neighborhood Watch

What is Neighborhood Watch?

Neighborhood Watch is a interactive community based program which encourages the residents to work with law enforcement as a cohesive unit to help deter crime, working towards building safer, crime free neighborhoods.  Residents are educated on their roles and responsibilities in the prevention of crime and are encouraged to assist the police department in taking measures to help prevent crime by calling in suspicious or criminal activity that is seen as it occurs.

How does it work?

Residents call the police department when they observe unusual, suspicious, or criminal activity in their neighborhood.  Residents are instructed at no time to approach or confront the individuals in questions.

Why is it so effective?

When residents actively participate in the program it enables the police department to have more trained eyes and ears that area available to observe criminal acts or suspicious activity.  Police Officers can not be everywhere all the time and with the support of the community this program can be a valuable asset to the community, residents and the Lake in the Hills Police Department.

What is a Block Captain?

A Block Captain acts as a liaison between the Police Department and those residents who work and or live in the neighborhood.  Periodic meetings are held between the police department and members of the neighborhood watch on an informal basis where officers pass along crime prevention tips and information to that may be specific to that neighborhood.  The Block Captain is responsible for organizing meetings and relaying information to other members of the Neighborhood Watch Group.

Getting Organized:

When a group of residents decide that they wish to form a neighborhood watch in their neighborhood they are advised to contact the Lake in the Hills Police Department Crime Prevention/ Community Relations Division at (847)658-5676.

Career Oriented Programs

Explorers 

Welcome to the Lake in the Hills Police Department Law Enforcement Explorer Post 1096 web page. The post started in Oct. 1999 and currently has 15 members. Our post is funded by donations from area businesses and fundraising and is operated by the Explorers themselves with guidance from advisors from the department staff. The purpose of the post is to allow young adults ages 14 to 21 to learn more about a career in Law Enforcement. The post operates year round and meets every Thursday evening from 7:00pm - 9:00pm at the Safety Education Center. The Explorers wear uniforms and receive specialized training in areas such as radio communications, crowd control, traffic control and traffic stops. Some of the activities that Explorers participate in include ride-a-longs on patrol with the officers, training conferences, competitions against other posts, community service, crowd and traffic control at festivals, carnivals and Summer Sunset Festival which attracts several thousand people.

The goal of the post is to give an accurate representation to its members of what being a police officer is really like. One of these aspects is serving the community. Explorers have volunteered their time to do such services as  shoveling snow, and checking on the elderly members of the community. Other points of training will include development of such attributes as integrity, ethics and law, physical and mental fitness. We will strive to offer our Explorers the best training so that they may return that benefit to the community and hopefully extend it to their own career in Law Enforcement.

The post is operated under the authority of the Boy Scouts of America Blackhawk Area Council in Rockford.

Our post officers are:

Post President – Captain Tom Konieczny

Administrative V.P. – 1st Lieutenant A.J. Gazda

Operations V.P. – 2nd Lieutenant Kyle Kunzen

Treasurer – Sergeant Tyler Courtney

Secretary – Sergeant John Irizarry

Should you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact an advisor at the Community Relations/ Crime Prevention Division 847-658-5676.

Officer Involved Voluntary Programs

Shop with a Cop

Lake in the Hills Police Department Officers annually join with Officers from other McHenry County Agencies for "Shop with a Cop". This program is co-sponsored by McHenry County Chiefs of Police Association and the Crystal Lake Lions Club and was modeled after similar programs around the nation.  An Officer is matched with a child and they go Christmas shopping at the Crystal Lake Wal-Mart, before regular hours. Each pair of shoppers has an amount they may spend on anything the child wishes with discounts from Wal-Mart and a tax savings. These funds are raised through donations and fund raisers by both organizations. The pair then attends a breakfast served by the Chiefs of Police.  The Shop with a Cop program has been so successful in helping needy children that it has expanded and now includes a back to school event.  If you are aware of a child that may qualify to attend this event please call the Community Relations/Crime Prevention Division at 847-658-5676.

Torch Run

Member of the Lake in the Hills Police Department volunteer yearly to participate in the Law Enforcement Torch Run.  The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the single largest fund-raising event benefiting Special Olympics Illinois.  This annual intrastate relay fundraiser is conducted across the state by local police officers to FBI agents.  This event not only raises funds, but increases awareness for the athletes who participate in Special Olympics Illinois.  Officers who participate in this event agree to raise funds for Special Olympics Illinois and also agree to carry the Flame of Hope to its final destination of the Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games.  If you would like more information or are interested in donating money please feel free to call the community relations/Crime Prevention Division at 847-658-5676.