Police Department

The Oak Park Police Department embraces the 10 Shared Principles adopted in 2018 by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois NAACP State Conference in an unprecedented effort to bridge the gap of mistrust between police and communities of color. By adopting the shared principles, the Oak Park Police Department has pledged to take the following approach to community policing:

• Value the life of every person, the preservation of life being the highest value.
• Recognize that all persons should be treated with dignity and respect.
• Reject discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, nationality, immigrant status, sexual orientation, gender, disability or familial status.
• Endorse the six pillars of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing including the first pillar of building trust and legitimacy.
• Endorse the four pillars of procedural justice, which are fairness, voice, transparency and impartiality.
• Endorse the values inherent in community policing, which includes positive engagement between community and police.
• Develop relationships at the leadership and street levels to eliminate racial tension.
• Accept mutual responsibility to encourage all citizens to gain a better understanding of the law to assist in interactions with police.
• Increase diversity in police departments and in the law enforcement profession
• Commit to de-escalation training to ensure the safety of community members and police officers.

Since 1952, the Village of Oak Park has operated under the Village Manager form of government as defined in the Illinois Constitution. All employees perform their duties under the direction of the Village Manager or their designee. The Police Chief oversees the members of the Police Department and issues General Orders governing their conduct, subject to the control and supervision of the Village Manager.

The Chief of the Oak Park Police Department currently is updating all General Orders, a process that is on track to be completed in the first quarter of 2021. The more than 200 General Orders under review range from mundane topics such as using an iPass tollway transponder to those that govern the most serious matters a police officer may face. Links to the updated orders will be posted on this webpage as soon as they are available. 

The General Orders posted via links at the bottom of this section are among those in effect today and currently under review. Portions of some documents are redacted in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq.).

In regards to use of force, the following eight points address the most frequently asked questions about Oak Park Police General Orders: 

1. Oak Park officers are required to de-escalate situations, where possible, through communication, maintaining distance, slowing things down and otherwise eliminating the need to use force. (General Order 4.38)
    
2. Oak Park prohibits officers from using maneuvers that cut off oxygen or blood flow, including chokeholds or carotid restraints. In fact, Oak Park does not even train officers on this type of maneuver. (720 ILCS5/7 – 5.5)
    
3. Oak Park officers are required to report any violation of policy by another officer immediately to a supervisor. (Rule 43)
    
4. Oak Park officers are restricted from shooting at moving vehicles. (General Order 4.08)
    
5. Oak Park limits the types of force and/or weapons that can be used to respond to specific types of resistance and specific characteristics such as age, size, or disability. (General Order 4.38)
    
6. Oak Park officers are required to exhaust all other reasonable means, when feasible, before resorting to deadly force. (General Order 4.08)
    
7. Oak Park officers are required to give a verbal warning, when possible, before using serious force such as shooting, tasing or pepper spraying someone. (General Order 4.38)
    
8. Oak Park officers are required to report each time they use force or threaten to use force (e.g., pointing a gun at a person). (General Order 4.38)

• Click here to review the current Administration General Orders
• Click here to review the current Operations General Orders

To accommodate staffing needs in our Patrol Division, the 2024 Youth Basketball Camp will not take place this summer. While we will miss hosting one of our more popular events, we invite interested families to register for the Village’s Youth Martial Arts Camp being held on July 10-12 at Julian Middle School. Click here for more information and how to register.

To deter bicycle thieves, the Police Department offers a registration program. Residents who register their bicycles will receive a difficult-to-remove decal that will allow easy identification should a registered bicycle be stolen and later recovered. The decal also serves as a deterrent to thieves because the bicycle can be easily traced to its owner.

Click here to begin the easy bicycle registration process

In Illinois, bicycles on the street are subject to the same traffic rules as motor vehicles. Cyclists are expected to obey traffic signs, signals and right of ways just like those driving a car. Oak Park also has several local ordinances pertaining to cyclists, including:

• Bicycles may not be ridden on the sidewalk by anyone over 15 years old.
• In the absence of cycling infrastructure or bicycle path markings, cyclists should ride near the right-hand curb except when passing, turning left, or avoiding hazards.
• Groups of cyclists on the road should ride in a single file.
• Bicycles cannot be used to carry more than the number of people for which the bike is designed or equipped.

Theft Precautions

The Oak Park Police would also like to help cyclists protect their bikes from theft. Here are a few simple precautions to take to help ensure your bike stays with you for a long time: 

• Remember to secure your bike when it is not in use.
• Don’t leave your bike in unsecured yards, parks or anywhere else it could be easily stolen.
• Advise children to not let anyone borrow or try their bike that they do not know and to avoid people or groups who might try to bully their bikes away from them.

Register your family’s bicycles with the Village of Oak Park. Registered bikes have a much better chance of being returned should they get stolen. There is no charge for registering bicycles.​

Finally, always wear a helmet when riding your bike.

Click here for a printable document of these tips. 

For more information on bicycling in Oak Park, including information on bike plans, visit our bicycling information page.

Pawfficer Howie is the Oak Park Community Service Dog. He has undergone more than 1,250 hours of service training with SIT Service Dogs to assist with officer wellness, help with victim comfort services for traumatic incidents and increase community engagement at public events. Howie resides at the Police Department and a rotation of trained employees are responsible for his care. 

The Oak Park Police Department’s community-based policing philosophy relies on citizen involvement. Residents and visitors who interact with Police are invited to share a compliment if an encounter was helpful or file a complaint if they feel they were treated unfairly or improperly. While compliments are welcomed, complaints are investigated. Just use these links to share information with the Police Chief:

• Share a compliment
• File an official complaint

The Oak Park Police Department collects and compiles data on all crimes investigated in the Village. Crime maps are created that list offenses such as aggravated assault, arson, burglary, criminal homicide, rape, theft, motor vehicle theft and robbery. Since the maps reflect crimes as they have been reported to the police, the crimes may be reclassified after follow-up investigations. Click here to view the maps.

Crime Analyst Susannah Yong

Emergency identification bracelets are available to any Oak Park resident on a voluntary basis. Residents that may benefit from the program include individuals with autism, Alzheimer's, dementia or other mental health challenges.

The bracelets include a metal face plate with a unique identification number and directions for contacting the Oak Park Police Department.

Click here to fill out an application. Applicants are asked to provide medical information and emergency contact information.

All information provided is confidential. If an emergency arises, the information on the ID bracelets will only be released to first responders and emergency medical staff. No personal information is included on the bracelet.

Click here to read about the program's origins.

For more information, contact the Police Department at 708.386.3800 or police@oak-park.us.

Calling the Oak Park Police is not the only way to report suspicious activity or persons. The more than 200 vehicles bearing the Village of Oak Park logo offer an added tool to communicate with law enforcement.

Known as Fleet Watch, the decades-old program enlists the entire municipal workforce that is on the street every day conducting a wide range of activities, from inspecting construction projects to fixing street lights and conducting restaurant inspections.

Anyone walking, biking or driving in Oak Park can stop a municipal vehicle anywhere, anytime to report an incident or issue. Village workers driving these municipal vehicles have a direct line to the Police either by two-way radio, cell phone or both. In addition, these Village employees have been trained to report anything they see that is suspicious, dangerous or even criminal so that Police officers can be dispatched to the scene as necessary.

The Fleet Watch program is, in many ways, like a neighborhood watch initiative, but traveling throughout the community. Of course, calling 911 remains the most effective means to communicate in an emergency. 

Kids interested in learning about law enforcement and careers in public safety are invited to register for the Junior Citizen’s Police Academy hosted by the Oak Park Police Department and the River Forest Police Department.

This year's academy will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 5 - 9 at the River Forest Police Department, 400 Park Ave. River Forest. Space is limited and an application is required. The application deadline is Wed., July 10, 2024.

Click here to download the 2024 Junior Citizen's Police Academy application. 

Click here to view the 2024 Junior Citizen's Police Academy Flyer.

For more information, call 708.358.3800 or email Deputy Chief Jacobson at djacobson@oak-park.us.

The Oak Park Police Department enforces all parking-related rules and regulations within the Village. Most parking enforcement activities are conducted by dedicated Parking Enforcement Officers who patrol the Village's streets, parking lots and garages. Parking fines are collected by the Adjudication Department, which is separate from the Police Department. The Adjudication Department also manages the administrative hearings process for parking ticket appeals and other municipal ordinance violations. Parking tickets may be appealed and paid online, via U.S. Mail or in person at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. Click here for more information on ticket appeals and the hearings process.

The Village of Oak Park offers internship opportunities to area university and college students who are interested in learning more about our Progressive 21st Century policing model. The Oak Park Police Department offers full and part-time internship opportunities throughout the year. These unpaid internships give students educational training and hands-on experience in a variety of policing services throughout the Village. Under the supervision of our professional police force, interns will receive a semester of learning that may include opportunities with our Residential Beat Officer program, School Resource Officer Program, Patrol, Records Division, Community Service Officer program, Parking Enforcement, Detective Bureau, Evidence Division and more. 

Find more information and links to application and release forms at www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Crime maps are posted regularly to keep residents informed of happenings in their neighborhood. Citizens may obtain copies of police reports on events in which they are involved, or other reports available through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Requests may also be made in person from 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Police Department in the lower level of Village Hall, 123 Madison St. The fee is $5 for accident reports and 10 cents per page for all other reports. The fee may be paid by cash, check, money order or credit card.

The Police Department disposes of surplus property via propertyroom.com, an online auction website used by law enforcement agencies across the country to list goods available for sale to the public. With burglaries and thefts representing the vast majority of crime in Oak Park, the items listed for sale by the Police Department typically are recovered when crimes are solved. In addition to recovered items such as bicycles, Oak Park Police also use the website to dispose of items seized as part of criminal investigations. Listing the items on the website has eliminated the need to host local auctions and dramatically increased the market of potential buyers.

Residents can report an illegally parked or abandoned vehicle by calling the Police Department's non-emergency phone number at 708.386.3800 or by emailing police@oak-park.us. If a vehicle is determined to be abandoned, an officer will write a report, issue the vehicle a citation and place a sticker on the vehicle noting it has been deemed abandoned. A letter will then be sent to the registered owner indicating he or she has 10 days to move the vehicle or it will be towed.

When reporting a crime, Police recommend trying to be as detailed as possible when describing a suspect or vehicle. The following tips outline information Police may seek during an investigation: 

Describing a vehicle

• License plate: including numbers, letters, words, colors, state, sticker year
• Type of vehicle: automobile, mini-van, SUV, pickup, motorcycle, etc.
• Color: describe in your own words
• Year and make: Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Jeep, etc.
• Style: 2 door, 4 door, 4 x 4, etc.
• Model: F-Series pickup, Camry, Accord, Malibu, Prius, etc.
• Number of occupants: how many people:  men, women, children, any animals
• General condition: new, old, any marks, dents, scratches, missing lights, mismatched parts, etc.
• Unusual features
• Direction of travel

Describing a suspect

• Face: shape of face, hairline, marks, scars, injuries, wrinkles, shape of ears, cheeks, facial hair, neck, Adam’s apple
• Hair: color, texture, style
• Sideburns
• Eyebrows
• Eye color
• Shape of nose
• Shape of lips
• Jaw line
• Shape of chin

Description from head to foot

• Race
• Sex
• Apparent age (in 5 to 10 year units)
• Height in feet (and 2 inch units)
• Weight/build (in 10 pound units)
• Hair, eye & skin color
• Scars, marks, tattoos
• Clothing (description from head to toe): Coat, jacket, shirt, sweater, blouse, vest, pants, skirt, etc. color, length, material, type, collar, sleeves, legs and condition
• Head coverings
• Eyeglasses
• Shoes, socks
• Unusual features

Click here for a downloadable flyer with this information

The Oak Park Police Department operates under a community policing strategy that relies on citizen involvement and a partnership of Police Department officials and residents. While the department undergoes a transition in programming, Deputy Chief Dave Jacobson is overseeing community policing and serving as the point of contact for Oak Park’s eight neighborhood zones. Click here for more information, including how to contact the Police Department about safety issues in each neighborhood zone.

Click here to review the Rules and Regulations governing the conduct and the responsibilities of the Oak Park Police Department and its employees.

Police conduct free security inspections of homes and businesses and make burglary prevention recommendations. The security inspections include an evaluation of all door locks, windows and entrances as well as garage doors and windows.

The inspecting officer also will provide guidance proper methods of marking personal property for future identification in the event a burglary should ever occur.

In addition, officers inspect multi-family buildings in conjunction with the Village's Community Relations Department and recommend security enhancements. If the enhancements are agreed upon by the owner of the building, funding may be available on a shared cost basis with the Village.

To schedule an appointment, contact your Resident Beat Officer or email police@oak-park.us.

The Oak Park Police Department works closely with Oak Park Township Youth Services, Thrive Counseling Center and many other community organizations and agencies to promote healthy choices and deter young people from committing delinquent acts. Personnel with special training and experience investigate crimes that are likely to have been committed by offenders who are under the age of 17, as well as crimes where the age of the victim requires special consideration. In addition, Oak Park Police officers work with educators and social workers to present age-appropriate safety information to children in kindergarten, second, fourth and seventh grades of all public and private schools in the community.

Owners of private cameras on their properities - both residential and commercial - are invited to share videos and photos they think might be useful in a Police investigation. Residents and property owners also can register their cameras with the Police Department, which would allow Police to contact them and ask to review footage as part of an investigation of a neighborhood crime. Click here for more information...