Police Beat

Sharing your concerns and ideas with your beat officers can be done in a number of ways. The simplest method is to contact your area’s Beat Sergeant by calling our administrative number of 847-359-9000. You can either speak with them directly or leave a voice mail message explaining the situation. Another avenue is to conduct a Neighborhood Watch problem-solving meeting, and invite area residents as well as your beat officers to come together to discuss potential solutions in an open forum. Finally, anytime you may need to call 911 to report a crime or neighborhood nuisance, you may ask the officer to stop by after handling the call to give you an opportunity to further explain the intricacy of the situation. As Neighborhood Watch members, it is important to remember that Neighborhood Based Policing relies on open communication between you and your Police Department.

For citizens to work with police in fighting crime most efficiently, people must understand the working philosophy of their police department. The Palatine Police Department patrols the Village with seven teams of officers, each team assigned to a particular geographical area (beat) of town. Each team consists of at least six patrol officers, coordinated by a Beat Sergeant, who are responsible for providing police services for their area of town around the clock utilizing permanent shifts.

Solving Problems

The officers assigned to each beat are not only responsible for traditional patrol duties, but also function as pro-active problem-solvers. Officers are encouraged to scan their beat for potential and existing problems. Many times one root cause can be identified as being responsible for numerous calls for police service. The officers rely not only on their own observations, but also on citizen input to help identify these problems. Once a problem has been brought to the attention of a neighborhood patrol team, and a possible cause has been identified, a plan of action is prepared. Here too, citizen input is encouraged. Many times there are no simple solutions, and more than one approach may be necessary. Neighborhood problems can range from speeding vehicles to an increasing population of homeless. Some of the more complex issues require a response not only from the police, but from other agencies as well. The "Dragnet" style of policing where the police wanted "just the facts," is long gone. To be most effective, our police officers need to know both your concerns and ideas.

Visit Your Beat

You are able to learn more about your specific police beats, the officers and the Beat Sergeant by visiting the links below. You are also able to contact your Beat Sergeant via email directly from their page.