City of Joliet Police Department Accomplishments 2016
Joliet City Council Back Row: John Gerl; Larry Hug; Mayor Bob O Dekirk; Terry Morris; Pat Mudron; Michael Turk Seated: Be ye Gavin; Jan Hallums Quillman; Brooke Hernandez Baker The City of Joliet is a home rule city with a Council Manager form of government. All ma ers of local policy and legisla on are determined by the City Council with the Mayor presiding.
The mission of the Joliet Police Department is to enhance the quality of life in the City of Joliet by working with the community for a safe city. We pledge to enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide a safe environment in which to live, work and recreate, and to do so within the framework of the United States Cons tu on. We are commi ed to providing the highest quality of police service to our community. Contact Us Emergency: 9 1 1: General: (815) 724 3100 Non emergency: (815) 726 2491 www.jolietpolice.org
Message from the Chief On behalf of the men and women of the Joliet Police Department, I am proud to present the 2016 Annual Report. Over the past year, our society has experienced a tremendous amount of adversity. Poli cal differences, economic and social inequality, and a shi ing value system have all factored into a fractured and confounded America. For all police officers, this has proven especially difficult as report a er report surfaced of officers being ambushed or violently targeted na onwide. Here in Joliet, our officers struggled to find a balance between support of their fellow officers and acknowledging the underlying tenets of mul ple movements striving to achieve recogni on. While the events of the past year have undoubtedly impacted our officers on many levels, I am proud to say that they have nevertheless acted honorably, while at the same me maintaining the support of the community they protect and serve. Chief Benton with Exchange Club Officer of the Year William O s, along with two coloring contest winners. This is no small achievement; I strongly believe this is due in large part to the strong connec ons our department members have cul vated over many years. These rela onships have formed from everyday interac ons as well as a mul tude of opportuni es to work together, whether through the NOPT officers a ending community mee ngs to s mulate dialogue, to suppor ng new officer driven ini a ves such as IMPACT (Increasing Male s Posi ve Ac ons through Character Training), or holding our own Ci zen s Police Academy to give a first and look at the du es of a police officer.. It is a testament to their dedica on that the community has con nued to support our department. We are, however, aware of the poten al for conflict, regardless of the strength of the rela onship. Officer safety must remain a top priority, as we mi gate any threat that may jeopardize their safety. They have been provided with addi onal equipment and training this year to be er prepare them for any situa on they may encounter. At the same me, the department strives to advance and evolve. We have worked hard to ensure increased internal diversity with the establishment of a Recruitment Team, as well as providing officers the opportunity to con nue to learn new methods of exhibi ng cultural competency. I remain proud of the work of all of our employees, both sworn and civilian, who have demonstrated me and again their willingness to go above and beyond, without any expecta on of reward, but simply because it was the right thing to do. I am fortunate to lead this unique, unparalleled law enforcement agency, and am confident that a er viewing this report, you will be equally impressed with the extent to which each and every member has shown the true meaning of working with the community for a safe city. Chief of Police
Paying Tribute The 35th annual Law Enforcement Memorial Day was held on May 12th to commemorate those killed in the line of duty. Over one hundred officers and agents from more than 20 local law enforcement agencies a ended this year s event, which was held on the lawn of the Will County Courthouse. 7 Annual Report 2016
Honoring Achievement Exchange Club Officer of the Year Joliet Police Department employees were honored for their achievement and dedica on with an awards ceremony in May. It was truly a celebra on, as over 50 individual awards were bestowed on sworn and civilian personnel. Officer William O s VFW Officers of the Year Officers Conroy and Gruber 8 Annual Report 2016 Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton was the recipient of the Award of Excellence in Law Enforcement presented by the Illinois State Crime Commission. He received this award at the 20th Annual Salute to Those Who Make a Difference Awards Dinner on June 15th, 2016 at the Drury Lane Theater in Oak Brook.
Crime Sta s cs The department employs one crime analyst to tackle the internal analysis and dissemina on of all crime data. Beyond Part I UCR data, this also includes traffic stops, relevant contacts, and hotspot analysis. Even with some small setbacks from year to year in specific crime types, the total number of reported incidents in the City of Joliet con nues to mirror na onwide trends, with general decreases in incidents over the past five years. Overall, the totals remain significantly less than other, earlier comparison years. Violent Part I UCR Reported Incidents by Year, 2001 through 2016 Property Part I UCR Reported Incidents by Year, 2001 through 2016 34.9% 33.4% Both violent and property types of incidents demonstrated decreases of over 30% during the me period examined. Violent crimes are considered crimes against persons (Homicide, Criminal Sexual Assault, Robbery, Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Ba ery), while Property crimes are those against property (Burglary, Burglary to Motor Vehicle, The, Motor Vehicle The and Arson). It is important to note that these raw number decreases over me have occurred with a concurrent popula on increase of 31%. Part I UCR Reported Incidents by Type and Year, 2012 through 2016 The number of violent incidents in Joliet account for a small propor on (13% ) of all reported UCR incidents. Over the past five years, the totals have proven to be much more stable than property crimes. As the chart illustrates, property crimes began a downward trend in 2013. The excep on to this observa on was 2015, which demonstrated a significant (19%) jump from the previous year. 9 Annual Report 2016
Crime Sta s cs UCR Reported Incidents by Type: 2012 through 2016 Shoo ng ac vity is heavily tracked on a daily basis within the department. Some of the data shown is also reported through the I UCR program, including Homicide and Aggravated Ba ery. Others, including Aggravated discharge and Reckless discharge, are not included. Confirmed Shoo ng Ac vity by Year, 2012 through 2016 Violent 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Homicide 11 11 9 9 10 CSA 30 33 29 49 56 Robbery 101 120 133 114 131 Agg Assault/ Ba ery 367 324 346 295 300 Total 509 488 517 467 497 Reported Violent incidents had some fluctua on in terms of raw numbers; the biggest distance was a net total of 50 incidents, or approximately 10% of the total. Overall, the total in 2016 was lower than two comparison years, 2012 and 2014, but higher than two others, 2013 and 2015. A er a significant 42% decrease in ac vity from 2012 to 2013, ac vity began to creep up in subsequent years. Shoo ng ac vity between 2015 and 2016 remained rela vely unchanged. Shots Fired Calls by Year, 2012 through 2016 Property 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Burglary 959 728 649 837 529 BMV 835 595 552 860 618 The 1978 1743 1717 1795 1593 MV The 160 142 117 118 139 Arson 78 52 48 54 64 Total 4010 3260 3083 3664 2943 In general, reported property incidents appeared to demonstrate a downward trend, with the excep on of the year 2015, when Burglaries and Burglary to motor vehicle skyrocketed. Burglary incidents increased by 188, while Burglary to motor vehicle increased by 308 incidents, over the previous year. While these totals have been observed in earlier comparison years, they were high by recent standards. In 2016, the totals went down drama cally in comparison, con nuing the overall downward trend for property crimes in Joliet. Despite the possibility of over and under repor ng, Shots Fired calls are also closely monitored. While the total in 2016 was less than 2012, there is a certain amount of varia on between years that can be a ributed to outside factors as much as measured increases in shoo ng ac vity. 10 Annual Report 2016
Promo ons From le : Sergeants James Stoddard and Christopher Delaney, Lieutenant Joseph Rosado and Captain Jeffrey Allbert. New Sergeant Tim Powers New Sergeant Darren Prochaska 11 Annual Report 2016
Re rements Re ring Officer Mike Cochran with Officer Lisa Giovingo. Officer James Carnes with Chief Benton receiving his commemora ve badge. Re ring K 9 Officer Biaky with his partner, Officer Pete VanGessel. 12 Annual Report 2016
New Hires Public Safety Clerk Carrie Batozech Officers Hawk Haiduke and Chad Price Public Safety Clerks Adam Mutsch Public Safety Clerk Alecxis Maldonado 13 Annual Report 2016
Celebra ng community spirit On June 7, several members of the department carried the Flame of Hope for nearly ten miles, star ng in St. Joseph Park in Joliet to Providence High School in New Lenox. The torch was then passed to New Lenox officers to con nue. This was the 23 rd year Joliet police officers have par cipated in this event and have raised over $500,000 for this cause. On bikes, Officers Mike Steurer and Tom Banas. Running, Officers Kyle Bledsoe, Alan Ver n, John Smith, Dave Mueller, Richard Olson. Joliet Police Explorers Post #220 In February of 2016, the Joliet Explorers par cipated in the 19 th Annual Chandler Swat Compeon in Arizona. They competed against fi y three other teams, which consisted of 500 explorers from around the country. The Joliet Explorers earned one of the highest trophy totals of the compeon, including three first place trophies. From top, le : Officer Rachel Smithberg, Bryson McCaskill, Alicia Hrva n, Evan Lopez, Garre Stern, Devan Arbay. Bo om, from le : Sergeant Andrew Jose, Jason Ramos, Cynthia Miller, Kaitlyn Stevens, Jeff Dalton. COP On a Roo op The Joliet Police host the annual Santa s Cops day at Walmart and bring Christmas joy to over 80 kids. Over $14,000 was raised between grants and dona ons from local businesses to enable the par cipants to shop for themselves and family members. On May 20, officers par cipated in Cop on a Roo op at three Dunkin Donuts loca ons in Joliet. Funds raised helped to benefit the Special Olympics Illinois. 14 Annual Report 2016
Technical Services The Technical Services Division consists of three dis nct, cri cal components: Communica ons, which has the responsibility of answering 9-1-1 calls and dispatching both police and fire; Records, which maintains both reports and arrest informa on while also taking minor reports at the front desk, and; Support Services, which ensures that equipment and uniforms are purchased. Records Sec on In 2016, the Records sec on at the main sta on was open 24hrs. a day, seven days a week. The West sta on was open from 8:00 am un l 4 pm, Monday through Friday and was closed on holidays. This model will be changing in 2017, when the front desk at the Main sta on will be closed at 9:00 pm, reopening at 8:00 am. The Records sec on is currently staffed by 15 employees. In 2016, Records staff filed 656 traffic accident reports and 7686 offense reports. Arrest paperwork is also a vital part of the police department. For the year, there were 4055 total arrests that were processed by staff, including transcribing 7,686 called-in reports and follow-ups by sworn personnel. Fees are also collected at the Front desk. These are typically administra ve fees related to vehicles towed for criminal viola ons. There also fees collected for fingerprints, tenant screening, and sex offender registra on. In 2016, the total amount of fees taken in at the front desk totaled $286,274. These fees are counted and balanced on a daily basis. A myriad of du es are performed on a daily basis in this sec on. Staff take minor police and accident reports at the window and complete tow release forms for ci zens when required. In the past year, a total of 2,295 FOIA requests were received. As a result, 2,691 reports were pulled, redacted as necessary and released. Deputy Chief Dupuis, who is the police departments designated FOIA Officer, ensured that this was done properly and in the me limit set by statute. The process of having staff take minor reports and traffic crashes at the sta on has enabled the department to keep more sworn personnel on patrol to respond rapidly to emergency situa ons. With this in mind, minor reports that do not require any type of follow up can also be done online at www.jolietpolice.org. 15 Annual Report 2016
Communica ons Led by Communica ons Director Julie Ponce-Doyle, who is also the Chairperson of the Will County 911 Board, the Communica ons center is the lifeline for our police officers and fire personnel. Composing of 36 employees, they make sure that 911 calls are answered 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and that help is on the way. For 2016 the amount of 911 calls received totaled 85,699. That makes the average number of 911 called answered on a daily basis at 233. Believe it or not, there are far more phone calls answered on the 7 digit nonemergency lines. 169,892 nonemergency calls were answered for 2016 making the daily average at 486. Take that number into account with the 233 emergency calls a day and we find that Communica ons is answering on average over 700 phone calls a day. Public Safety Dispatchers Kyle Parker and Chris ne Grutzius both marked their 20 year anniversaries with the Joliet Police Department in 2016. Each was honored with a celebra on. Gathering informa on and sharing is not only done via telephone. Push to Talk (portable radios) is how most informa on is shared with public safety personnel. For 2016, there were 2,404,295 Push to Talks with an average of 6,106 per day. On top of all of this, there were 93,057 Police CAD events generated along with 20,852 Fire CAD events. As you can see, Communica ons is aptly named. 16 Annual Report 2016
Will County Telecommunicator of the Year Jamie Van Byssum The Telecommunicator of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding telecommunicator who has demonstrated consistently excep onal knowledge and skill in the field of 9 1 1. This is a non compeve recogni on program that acknowledges the important day to day contribu ons of 9 1 1 telecommunicators whose performance and a tude is excep onal. Nomina ons should not be based upon the nominees handling of a single incident. The award is meant to honor the best of the best, the personnel whom their peers would consider to be the leaders based on many aspects. Jamie became a Dispatcher for the City of Joliet in 2007. She is an excep onal dispatcher and member of our Joliet 9-1-1 family, known for going above and beyond in whatever task she is given. When it comes to officer safety and being thorough as a dispatcher and call taker, she constantly holds herself to a very high standard, exhibi ng excep onal resourcefulness. This has been shown during tending to a rou ne call for service or the most urgent of emergencies. Jamie uses every means she can to resolve problems and answer ques ons, consistently honing her skills as a dispatcher and sharing all new skills with her coworkers. Will County Telecommunicator of the Year Jamie Van Byssum Her work has not gone unrecognized in the past year, earning a Unit Merit Award with her shi for their work during three major, simultaneous incidents. Several addi onal achievements include: Developing reference materials for coworkers a er the implementa on of the new CAD system. Joining the CTO program, training newly hired dispatchers. Maintaining perfect a endance for several years. Co crea on of a police accountability board for monitoring the hundreds of officers that are working at the track during a race, improving all dispatchers ability to maintain high officer safety standards in a remote se ng. Working with the Fire Department (also at the track) to obtain new and improved maps and reference materials as well as assis ng in the tes ng of new radio mobile worksta ons for all dispatchers working at the racetrack. Par cipa ng in the Communica on Center s 911 Educa on Program as an instructor. Not only is Jamie professional and commi ed in the dispatch center, but Jamie also has devoted herself to projects outside of the Communica ons Center. She finds ways to volunteer her me and talents for various charitable projects, including designing our annual Santa s Cops pins as well as designs for Special Olympics. Lastly, Jamie is remarkable team player; the support that she gives her fellow dispatchers is incomparable. She o en comes to work celebra- ons, anniversaries and other func ons to show that support to her coworkers. In addi on, she is always very much involved in Telecommunicator Week, reaching out to each person in the Communica on Center to make sure they are a part of her amazingly crea ve displays that are a much-an cipated part of our Telecommunicator Week celebra on. Jamie shows professionalism and excitement about a voca on that can be both taken for granted and overlooked. From le : Deputy Chief Dupuis, Communica ons Director Julie Ponce Doyle, Jamie Van Byssum, Chief Benton, Fire Chief Formhals. 17 Annual Report 2016
Support Services Support Services Sergeant Moeller is responsible for budge ng, maintaining and ordering necessary equipment for both officers and civilian personnel. He is also responsible for ensuring that police facili es are up to working standard and recommending any fixes or solu ons to building engineers. Squad Cars This past year saw a large influx of much-needed new squad cars to the aging fleet. There were a total of 42 squad cars purchased and ou i ed for use. The purchasing process and installa on of equipment was the result of a combined effort of the Motor Maintenance Division and the Technical Services Division. In Car Cameras The year 2016 saw some new technology added to the Joliet Police Department. A er a lengthy ve ng process, it was agreed that the WatchGuard camera system would best serve the department and the public needs and expecta- ons. With the purchase of 33 cameras from Watchguard, the in-car camera program took a huge leap forward in both quality, ease of use and future expandability. The dashboard allows internal viewing by supervisory staff, and provides mul ple angle perspec ve. The bo om two pictures demonstrate this ability, taken from the same squad car, and uploaded into the main system. 18 Annual Report 2016
Community Involvement IMPACT Program The IMPACT (Increasing Male s Posi ve Ac ons through Character Training) was ini ated at Singleton Elementary School in response to fi h grade boys struggle with behavior and social-emo onal issues. The Joliet Black Police Officer s Associa on met with members twice a month to discuss specific ways on taking responsibility for their ac ons and becoming effec ve leaders. A total of 24 students were invited to par cipate in the program, to overwhelming success. In June, LCSW Mardi Wunderlich traveled to Nice, France for the 63rd Zonta Interna onal Conven on as a representa ve of the Joliet Area District 06. Zonta Interna onal is a non-profit organiza on with 30,000 members in 66 dis nct countries working together to improve the lives of women and girls. Founded in 1919 in New York, it has been commi ed to empower women worldwide by improving the legal, poli cal, economic, educa onal, health and professional status of women at the global and local levels through service and advocacy. Ms. Wunderlich has been a member of Zonta Interna onal since 1997. 19 Annual Report 2016
Opera ons The Opera ons Division is the largest division in the department, with over 200 members. The largest unit in opera- ons is patrol, which provides 24-hour coverage; this is accomplished by assigning officers to two shi s, days and nights. Each shi has staggered star ng mes to provide con nuous coverage during shi changes. Officers are then assigned to a District, East, Central, or West, followed by a Sector inside of their District. Over 140 officers and supervisors comprise the patrol unit s staffing. Season for Thieving A special detail was implemented to combat the of packages le on ci zen s property a er being delivered by during the holiday season. Four officers in plain clothes, driving unmarked vehicles, patrolled various neighborhoods looking for anyone taking delivered packages from porches or other delivery points. They also followed delivery vehicles in an a empt to iden fy anyone following the trucks. The detail led to the major arrest of a crew of four targe ng homes and stealing packages. In all, a total of twelve different vic ms were iden fied, and items totaling over $1,000 were recovered. All four subjects were charged with Felony The and 10 counts of Criminal Trespass to Property and were Once complete the detail was complete, officers fielded several calls from ci zens who saw an ar cle about the arrest, and wanted to see if their property was also located any of their property. 20 Annual Report 2016
21 Annual Report 2016 Tac cal Unit Tac cal officers main objec ve is to concentrate their efforts on guns, gangs and drugs. Tac cal also provides support to the Joliet Narco c Unit (JNU) officers. Felony arrests 96 Misdemeanor arrests 60 Warrant arrests 112 USC seized $25,889 Cannabis seized Controlled substances seized Guns recovered 31 2,566.73 gr 75.1 gr The Special Services Unit is staffed with eight officers and one Sergeant. Two of the eight officers have been assigned to the unit on a temporary basis, working the dayshi with three other officers. One officer is assigned to the train sta- on during the early morning hours. Two officers are assigned to the a ernoon shi. The purpose of the Unit is twofold: 1: To advance the departmental mission of crime preven on through problem solving, and 2: To develop partnerships with ci zens, local downtown businesses, and community services in order to improve the quality of life for all residents and visitors. In addi on to monthly mee ngs with business owners, officers also completed the various tasks in and around the downtown area: Met with area social service agencies to assist homeless persons in nee Traffic Control and Security for 50+ Joliet Slammers ballgames Provided outside security and patrol during Rialto Square Theater show Joliet Narco cs Unit In 2015, The JNU saw a spike in Heroin sales. In late November through mul ple inves ga ons, JNU/Tac cal Officers were able to uncover a drug trafficking organiza on opera ng in the city. Over the next 5 months JNU/Tac cal Officers built their case against this organiza on and elicited the assistance of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Agents (ATF) to garner federal charges against involved individuals. The inves ga on led to the service of several search warrants and arrest, the seizure of 3 vehicles, one being an $115,000 Cadillac SUV, and seizures of assets and bank accounts totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars. A er the primary suspects were in custody, Tac cal/jnu officers set up a reverse drug opera on which ne ed mul ple heroin and cocaine buyers, large amounts of US currency, and the seizure of over 11 vehicles. Special Services Unit Daily traffic Control and security during dismissal at Joliet Central High School Family Fun Fest USF back to school fair Spanish Center Fiesta Easter and Christmas parades Downtown Race Fan Rally Empire TV show filming at the Rialto Weekly farmer s market New Orleans North event IHSA state baseball tournament Star Wars Day at the Joliet Public Library Undercover drug buys 66 Search warrants 40 USC seized $232,966.95 Crack cocaine seized Powder cocaine seized Cannabis seized Arrests 35 Vehicles seized 12 Heroin seized Prescrip on pills seized 166 Firearms seized 5 160.40 gr 101.71 gr 1308.06 gr 402.9 gr Neighborhood Oriented Policing Unit The NOPT unit was staffed with eleven officers assigned to eight target neighborhoods throughout the city. The purpose of the Unit is to advance the departmental mission of crime preven on through problem solving by developing partnerships with ci zens, other departments, and community services in order to improve the quality of life for all residents. The neighborhood officers ac vely par cipated in monthly neighborhood mee ngs of the following organiza ons: CAPA, St. Pat s, St. John s, CNC, Forest Park, Eastside and Southside. Officers also par cipated in the Reedswood, Marque e Gardens, Lake Lawn and any district neighborhood mee ngs organized by City Councilmen. In addi on to these mee ngs, neighborhood officers were responsible for over 45 community events. Arrests 430 Assists 428 Calls for service 3,582 Reports generated 651 Traffic cita ons 1,025 Field interview cards 417
Traffic Unit The traffic unit members are responsible for the training of all new officers in the educa on of DUI enforcement, including field sobriety, radar, and traffic enforcement. A total of 44 crossing guards are also under the direc on of traffic The traffic unit inves gated several severe and fatal crashes that occurred throughout the city this past year. The traffic sec on also has a hit run inves gator who inves gated hundreds of hit and run complaints. Roadside safety checks 2 DUI/Seat belt satura on patrols Seat belt zones 6 Fatality accidents inves gated 9 Reconstruc ons 25 Abandoned vehicles towed 175 Vehicles towed citywide 1,071 Crashes inves gated 5,633 Hit and run accidents inves gated Parades, walk-run events 26 Funeral escorts Motorcycle escorts 35 Speed trailer deployment 6 1,175 245 hours 158 days Central District Traffic Enforcement Detail Joliet Police ini ated a traffic enforcement detail in an effort to reduce the number of accidents and complaints received predominantly in the Central District. The detail consisted of 1 supervisor and 5 officers, and ran from August 7th through September 3rd. During this meframe the officers varied their work hours to address the public s concerns. In the four week period the detail was opera onal, there were a total of 1149 traffic cita ons issued, 249 warning cita ons, 8 warrants served, 1 misdemeanor arrest, 3 felony arrest, 3 compliance ckets issued, 1 DUI arrest, 1 weapon recovered, 1 stolen motor vehicle recovered, drugs recovered (Cocaine/ Marijuana/Pills), 2 vehicles held for seizure, and 9 vehicles towed. Chance Encounter Officers were dispatched to a fire on the west side of town. It ended up just being smoke coming from the dryer and cleared in a ma er of minutes. However, while on scene, a neighbor approached an officer and pointed out a townhouse that had been tagged unfit for occupancy, but s ll had residents inside. The officer went to the home and found an elderly couple staying there. The house had no water or electricity, and the toilets were backed up with waste. The couple explained that they had no family they could stay with, but refused assistance in finding a local shelter. Officers a empted to contact Will County Senior Services as well as our department social worker to assist, but were unsuccessful due to the late hour. In response to their predicament, Joliet Officers pitched in and paid for the couple to stay at a nearby hotel. When following up with them the next day, officers learned that one of them was a veteran. With this knowledge, officers worked relessly, contac ng services to enable them to return to their home. Eventually, officers were able to speak with service administrators to have the electric and water reinstated, and the couple were able to move back into their home soon therea er. 22 Annual Report 2016
Community Apprecia on Washington Jr. High School Students show their apprecia on to Joliet Police Officers by washing squad cars. Exchange Club Officer of the Year The Hufford Jr. High School Orchestra visited the Joliet Police Department and shared their musical talents. They performed some classic holiday music for officers and staff. 23 Annual Report 2016
Inves ga ons The Inves ga ons Division is comprised of General Inves ga ons, Criminal Intelligence, Evidence, and many detached units, including the FBI Fugi ve Task Force, FBI computer Crimes Task Force, and the Tri-County Auto The Task Force. In total, there are an average of forty members assigned to the division. The Division tackled several high profile cases during the year, including a double homicide and a par cularly dreadful sexual assault of a student by a teacher. Both events were closed by arrest soon a er being reported. 2016 Inves ga ve Sta s cs Cases assigned: 3157 New Detec ves Arson 13 Ba ery/assault 793 BMV/The 388 Burglary 88 Criminal damage/trespass 173 CSA 74 Decep on 226 Disorderly conduct 138 Domes c 80 Drugs 92 Homicide 7 Juvenile offenses 56 Kidnapping 4 MV The 89 Other 647 Robbery 119 Sex offenses 88 Traffic 9 Weapons 73 Cases closed: 2616 135 Detec ve arrest 297 Warrant issued Officer David Jackson Officer Aaron Bandy 24 Annual Report 2016
Ci zens Police Academy The annual Ci zens Police Academy was held in the Fall of 2016. The academy sessions are for Joliet residents, 18 years or older, who are interested in learning more about how their police department operates and the policing challenges facing the City. Over a 12 week period, par cipants learn about different aspects of the police department. The 2016 Academy ran from March 8th through May 24th. Classes were every Tuesday from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Some of the topics covered during the twelve weeks included presenta ons of: Chief s Office Tour the police department Community Policing Presenta on: States A orney s Office Crime Preven on S.O.S (Special Opera ons Squad) Inves ga ons Use of Force Gangs K 9 Taser Training 25 Annual Report 2016
Administra on The Administra ve Division encompasses several func ons within the department including, preparing and overseeing department budget, Internal Affairs, Accredita on, organiza onal planning, crime analysis, training, and management of social services. From le, DC Brian Dupuis, DC Alan Roechner, Former NFL Bears Player Steven McMichael, Chief Brian Benton, DC Tab Jensen, DC Edgar Gregory. The department has been accredited since 2003, and con nues to excel as a leading department in the country. With the constant change in society, the Commission on Accredita on for Law Enforcement Agencies provides specific standards departments must observe in order to conform to state and federal mandates. The standards to which the program is based guides departments on the best prac ces on how to police a community. In 2015, the department was re accredited and received the Gold Standard Award with Excellence. The department will be up for reaccredita on in 2018. CALEA s main goals are to: Strengthen crime preven on and control capabili es Formalize essen al management procedures Establish fair and nondiscriminatory personnel prac ces Improve service delivery Solidify interagency coopera on and coordina on Increase community and staff confidence in the agency. Internal Affairs There are two supervisors assigned to the Internal Affairs Unit who inves gates incidents of professional misconduct by department members. Officers must be held to the highest ethical standards and the role of Internal Affairs is to provide assurance that an organiza on provides accountability for it members. When allega ons and accusa ons of misconduct or wrongdoing arise, internal affairs primary purpose is to determine the truth and report the facts in an effort to uphold and maintain the integrity of the department. 26 Annual Report 2016
Social Service Unit Mardi Wunderlich (Licensed Clinical Social Worker), assists vic ms of domes c violence, mediates neighbor disputes, and leads the Department's Peer Assistance and Cri cal Incident Stress Debriefing teams. In addi on, Mardi serves on the following community commi ees on the following community commi ees: United Way Alloca ons Commi ee Take Back the Night (Secretary) Southwest Coali on for Substance Abuse Planning One of the primary responsibili es of the Planning Unit is to con nuously monitor law enforcement trends and law updates in order to create and update department general orders or training bulle ns. For the department to remain accredited the department must adhere to certain guidelines, which requires constant review of policies and procedures. In 2015 the planning unit created 18 new general orders and revised 92 general orders to stay current with these required regula ons. LCSW Mardi Wunderlich Training and Recruitment In 2016, the training unit developed plans to meet all of the state s new mandates for police training, including departmentwide Cultural Competency Training for all sworn members. This training was well received by the members of the department, with many saying it was the best training they have had on the subject. The instructor would have been proud to hear the number of people saying "oops" and "ouch" a month later, demonstra ng that members were incorpora ng the training into their daily interac ons. In addi on to training, the unit is responsible for the department s recrui ng efforts. In 2016, a wri en, comprehensive plan was developed with the specific goal of becoming an agent for internal demographic change. Officer Jansma with a student. A measurable impact was seen in the shi in demographics for applicants during the most recent tes ng cycle. In comparison to the previous tes ng cycle, applicants closely mirrored our city s demographics. Specific increases included: African American applicants: +22% Hispanic Applicants: +44.9% Female applicants: +27.9% Minority female applicants: +54.5% In late of 2015, the department purchased a Use of Force Training Simulator that provides interac ve scenario based training. This system allowed instructors to conduct regular on shi training throughout the year in hopes to reduce the number of use of force incidents. This training has been on going and has been very eagerly embraced by the members who find it to be mely, engaging, and effec ve. 27 Annual Report 2016 A team of twenty nine department members spoke with college students (Governor s State, Malcolm X, Harold Washington and Kankakee Community College, Prairie State College, Harper College and Joliet Junior College), veterans (Illinois Veteran s Job Fair and the Memorial Day Veteran s Career Fair), church a endees (Mt. Carmel Church) and students (St. Francis University, Lewis University). Lieutenant Robert Brown speaks with students at a local college.