Police Operations & STRUCTURE

The Chief of Police is responsible for the management and leadership of the Richton Park Police Department. Below is a breakdown of the different divisions:

PATROL DIVISION

The goal of the Patrol Division is to address community problems and assure a safe community environment through directed and routine patrol. As the largest and most visible division of the Police Department, the Patrol Division provides the first response to emergency and non-emergency incidents. The Patrol Division uses a variety of specialized units to deliver police services to Village residents, including:

• Bicycle Patrol Unit - The Bicycle Patrol Unit is able to field a number of officers trained and equipped for bicycle patrol on specialized bikes with Police markings and equipment. Each of these officers has a primary job responsibility separate from bicycle patrol. The officers are deployed during the evening hours throughout the summer to address problems that seem amenable to bicycle patrol. The Bicycle Patrol has been successfully deployed to attend to special police problems. This method of patrol has been advantageous when compared to traditional motorized patrol or foot patrol. Bicycle patrols are faster than foot patrols, less obtrusive than motorized patrols, can go places motorized patrols cannot, and provide greater face-to-face interaction with the community.
• Community Service Officer - Under the general supervision of the shift supervisor, the CSO performs general non-criminal enforcement duties in support of the patrol division. Duties performed are of minimal to average difficulty and include routine enforcement of ordinance violations concerning parking and animal control, completing reports on non-injury accidents on private property, non-criminal fingerprinting and other duties consistent with non-criminal enforcement work.

INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION

The Investigations Division of the Richton Park Police Department is staffed by sworn employees. The function of the division is multi-faceted in nature, but is primarily responsible for the follow-up investigation of crimes which occur within the Village of Richton Park and implementation of community programs. The division plays an integral part in the department’s efforts to detain and apprehend offenders who commit crimes within the village. The Investigations Division handles:

• Major Crimes - Investigates the most serious violent offenses such as homicide, robbery and sexual assault, and property crimes such as fraud and burglary.
• Youth/Juvenile - Investigates less serious offenses such as theft, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct. Specially trained youth investigators handle all criminal and status offense cases involving persons under the age of eighteen as victims or offenders. A detective is also assigned full time to each public school as a School Resource Officer.
• Special Enforcement – Tactical officers are assigned to proactive enforcement with emphasis on targeting drug, gang and simple quality of life offenses, development of informants, and preparation and execution of search warrants.
• Evidence Technicians - Process crime scenes, collects, evaluates and stores evidence, and is the liaison between local, state and federal crime labs.

RECORDS DIVISION

The Records division is managed by the Records Supervisor whose primary responsibility is to provide general management direction and control for the Records Division.  The Records Division consists of General Clerical/Records Staff, Parking and Compliance Ticket Services, Alarm Permits and Billing, LEADS Services and Court Services and Liaison.