When Oak Park Police Officer Robert Martin told his family his new assignment as one of the first members of the department’s community policing unit would allow him to work from home, his wife and teenage son appeared less than enthusiastic.
“You’re going to be home all the time?” asked his son, Peter, 14, in exasperation, while Martin’s wife, Marie, said she would try to keep an open mind.
She has now warmed to the notion, Martin said, calling it “a good idea” that will allow more flexibility in their scheduling of family affairs.
On the other hand, Martin’s co-worker, Officer James Norton, said his wife, Deborah, was in favor of the idea from the beginning. His three teenagers, Christiana, Matthew and James Jr. took the news in stride, Norton said, while his 3-year-old son, Timothy had no comment one way or another.
Community policing, a re-creation of the old-fashioned cop on the beat, first appeared in recent years in the inner city and has now spread to many suburbs.
Oak Park officials say their approach is novel in that Martin and Norton will work right out of their homes.
Their mission is to generate a sense of security and harmony in their neighborhoods. Martin and Norton plan to accomplish this by following up on problems that residents listed on a Police Department survey, attending community meetings and informing residents about how to better secure their property.
They also will act as monitors of the way city services are provided and will report back to village officials about the quality of service.
Martin’s beat encompasses the area bounded by Garfield Street, Roosevelt Road, Austin Boulevard and Harlem Avenue. He described the community policing assignment as a natural progression in his 17-year career as an Oak Park police officer. He said he volunteered for the assignment, which begins on Thursday, because it affords him the chance to see problems through to a resolution.
He said the rigors of traditional police work often did not allow time to follow up on problems because another call would come in or the shift would change.
“Lots of times when you’re on patrol, you don’t have time to finish your job,” he said.
Norton’s beat encompasses the area bounded by North Avenue, Chicago Avenue, Austin Boulevard and Ridgeland Avenue. He volunteered for the assignment because community policing will help to “align the police force with the needs of the community.”
Any efforts to reduce crime, including community policing, bode well with Oak Park resident Jason Erion. Erion, who works at G’s Video on Chicago Avenue, said a nearby sandwich shop recently went out of business after armed robbers held up the owner.
“I know they say crime is going down,” he said. “But it doesn’t seem like it.”
Erion said the program may create a better relationship between citizens and the police. That is exactly what Police Chief Joseph Mendrick wants.
He said he will rate Norton and Martin on the quantity and quality of their problem-solving skills. If they are successful, he would like to expand the program to other neighborhoods and eventually the entire village.
