Glencoe is latest village to review police staffing

An endeavor coined by Village President Howard Roin as a “very important project” now has the necessary approval it needs to move forward in Glencoe.

Village trustees during their Thursday, April 17 meeting approved a resolution authorizing a public safety staffing study to be completed by the end of this year.

Katy Darr, Glencoe’s human resources manager, told trustees that the purpose of the study is “to provide the village with guidance on how to support and preserve the public safety staffing model for the current and future needs of the community.”

Village officials had previously requested the study as part of the workplace of excellence strategic goals outlined in Glencoe’s recently approved strategic plan.

Glencoe is the only community in the state that operates under the public safety department model. According to village information, the department was first established in the village in 1954 when officials combined the police and fire departments into “one single, cross-trained department.”

Glencoe officers today are trained as certified police officers, firefighters and medical first-responders.

“This level of efficiency allows the Village to provide a high level of emergency services to the community at a reduced cost when compared to municipalities utilizing traditional, separate police, fire and emergency medical components,” the village’s website says.

Glencoe officials sought proposals from companies that could offer a “clear understanding of the unique needs of a department, and community, like (Glencoe).”

According to Darr, the village issued a request for proposal in February of this year and subsequently received seven proposals.

Officials selected Missouri-based Fitch & Associates as the preferred option. The contract for the study will not exceed $66,000, per village documents.

The village had previously earmarked $25,000 for the study but officials said sufficient funds remain in the town’s general fund to cover the remaining costs.

The focus heading in was to find a staffing study that would offer a data-driven analysis of village information that compares Glencoe to external standards to maintain strong service to the town’s residents.

Neighboring communities have also focused on public-safety staffing in recent months.

Most notably, Winnetka turned to private security to supplement its police force, which was struggling with open positions for a significant period.

Wilmette officials are backing the expansion of the Village’s police force to improve community response, mentioning mental-health calls and public events as areas of concern.

And in Northfield, the police department has worked over the past few years to address police-staffing shortages.

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.