Officials within the Oak Park Police Department say its commitment to community policing "isn't just a title or philosophy."
Instead, Deputy Chief Anthony Ambrose says, community policing is practiced by everyone in the department, from patrolmen to detectives. That means a group of the village's 116 sworn officers are covering portions of Oak Park at any given time, with an eye toward preventing, and reacting to, crime and promoting public safety.
To that end, the department assigns several officers to work from their homes, situated within their beats. The goal is to open the lines of communication between the department and Oak Park's neighborhoods.
Oak Park police have a street-crimes unit, traffic-enforcement unit and juvenile unit. They also dedicate officers to the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement, a regional crimefighting effort made up of officers in Forest Park, River Forest, Brookfield, Lyons, Riverside, Stickney, North Riverside and Berwyn.
Additional numbers for the department include a Crime Tip Hotline at 708-434-1636 and a non-emergency number at 708-386-2131.
The Administration Building houses the hub of Frankfort's government offices. This includes offices for the mayor, the village board, the public works department, the village administrator and others. Residents can pay water bills, building fees and fines at the building.
Frankfort was founded in 1855 (incorporated 1879) by German settlers from Pennsylvania. Recently, the village has been honored as one of the premier suburbs in the Chicago area and the country, thanks in part to its historic downtown and its emphasis on maintaining a wealth of green spaces in the community.
The county administrative services office provides secretarial and research support to the County Board and its committees. It also coordinates the county's budget preparation process, recruits employees for specific county departments, oversees many of the county's insurance programs and coordinates the liquor license application process, among other duties.
The administrative services office is located in Room 203 of the Kendall County Office Building. County administrator Jeff Wilkins oversees this office.
Mt. Greenwood Park is a public resource for the Mt. Greenwood community. It features 24 acre of field houses, ice rinks, swimming pools, baseball diamonds and more. It hosts Christmas parties, star gazing, gardening and other events.
The Cary Fire Protection District provides fire, rescue and advanced life support ambulance services to the residents of Cary, Trout Valley, Oakwood Hills and to small sections in Algonquin and Lake in the Hills. Other areas include places in Lake and McHenry counties. The CFPD has a staff of 6 full-time members and 58 on-call/part-time members that serve in 2 stations in Cary.
The Illinois Office of State Fire Marshall and the McHenry/Western Lake County Emergency Medical services provides training to all the members of the CFPD.
The CFPD has many events throughout the year for adults and kids to learn fire safety, school safety, home safety and CPR.
The Kendall County Clerk and Recorder's offices have a variety of duties, from filing marriage licenses and birth and death certificates to keeping County Board meeting minutes. These offices, which are headed by Debbie Gillette, also are responsible for staffing and providing equipment for elections, as well as maintaining documents surrounding land transactions.
The Recorder's Office is located on the first floor of the Kendall County Office Building. The County Clerk's Office is located on the second floor.
Olympia Fields is governed by the Village President and a board of six trustees that votes on ordinances and policies concerning the village. The Public Works Department, located in the same building, is in charge of maintaining all facilities as well as the sewers and streets.
The Village of Palatine's offices are located at 200 East Wood Street. On the second floor, residents can pay bills or pick up information such as vehicle sticker applications or animal tag applications. The second floor is also where building permits, building inspections and business licenses are handled. The third floor contains the offices of the mayor and village clerk. The third floor is also where the Village Board meets.
Orland Park Sportsplex offers several cardio machines, a running track, personal training, yoga, pilates, weights, rock climbing, fitness classes, golf cages, basketball, volleyball and soccer. Additional amenities include free towel and locker service, child care, birthday rooms, and changing areas for men, women and children. Memberships are available for residents, non-residents and those who have corporate affiliations with Orland Park.