Graduates of the police academy in Des Plaines are not awarded a badge and a weekly paycheck, but they do get a pretty good taste of what police work is all about.
The Citizens Police Academy, which held its pilot session last spring and will repeat this fall and twice more next year, is an intriguing combination of lectures and hands-on experience designed to give residents a feel for what it is like to wear the uniform of a Des Plaines police officer.
Not only does it create a better understanding among citizens for the challenges facing their hometown police force, it also helps the Police Department get more involved with the community, said Pat Ornberg, executive director of the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of the academy’s first class.
“It is good for the community to see what police work really entails,” she said. “I’ve been here 27 years, and I found out things I’ve never known about Des Plaines and the Police Department. And from the department’s standpoint, it is great public relations.”
The free 10-week course, which has only 14 openings and already is filled for the next session, features lectures from experts in every department, ranging from the new canine unit to fraud, gangs and narcotics.
In addition, the citizen-students get to try out a weapons simulator, shoot a few rounds at the police firing range, observe officers gathering evidence at a crime scene and ride along in a squad car.
The program is funded through money confiscated from drug forfeitures and arrests.
The first pilot session was attended by three trustees, past and current officers from the chamber of commerce and residents from homeowners associations and Neighborhood Watch groups, including several representatives of Des Plaines’ Hispanic community, according to Kelly.
Duffers one and all: Though the Hoffman Estates team wore bright green T-shirts that read, “O’Malley’s Hoffman Hunks,” the Michael O’Malley-led foursome didn’t bring home the Mayor’s Cup this year at the annual Woodfield Area Charitable Organization Hackers Open Golf Tournament benefit.
Nor did last year’s winner, Mayor Kevin Kelly from Elgin, manage to hold onto the cup.
Nope, this year the coveted trophy went to Lake Zurich Mayor Debbie Vasels.
O’Malley came in second, and Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder took third place.
The benefit raised $15,000 to $20,000 for the group’s annual Christmas shopping spree for needy children from the northwest suburbs.
Getting the word out: Dennis Gallitano has been taking some heat for chasing a motorist he thought was driving recklessly recently, so the Elk Grove Village president apparently saw the need to set the record straight.
The point he wanted to make in a press release issued on village stationery was that he was in constant communication with the police during the chase.
A word of advice, Mr. Mayor, in case you feel obligated to pursue any more rowdy drivers in the future: Locate the village fax machine. It would be cheaper for Elk Grove taxpayers than explaining your motives via messenger service.
The honors pile up: There’s just no place like Schaumburg these days, especially if you care deeply about salt storage.
And the folks at the Salt Institute in Alexandria, Va., certainly do.
They’ve named Schaumburg–once again–one of the top 14 communities in North America when it comes to providing a suitable facility to store road salt year round.
“On a hot, humid August day, salt storage may be the furthest thing from your mind, but when January rolls around and the wind chill is minus-20 and there’s snow on the ground, you’re going to love the idea that Schaumburg has taken good care of its salt,” said Mayor Al Larson.
The accolade came on top of last year’s award for having pretty water tanks, not to mention the town’s designation as one of America’s Most Lovable Cities by a local dating service.
All that, and Woodfield too.
Star turn: The family of Hap Holly, a Des Plaines resident for 22 years, will be featured in a made-for-TV-movie scheduled for 8 p.m. Sept. 22 on CBS titled “What Love Sees.”
Jean and Forrest Holly, Hap’s parents, were blind and living on opposite coasts, but they managed to meet, marry and raise four children, despite their disabilities. One of the children, Hap, also is blind.
Jean Holly, in her late 70s, lives in Oregon, but Forrest Holly died in 1984.
The movie, which will star Richard Thomas and Annabeth Gish, will focus on the obstacles they overcame, and is based on the 1988 paperback of the same name by Susan Vreeland.
