The Carpentersville Police Department has joined a federal task force that will provide more resources in its ongoing battle against illegal drugs and gang activity, Police Chief Todd Shaver said.
A Special Operations Group detective from the department has been assigned to Homeland Security Investigation, the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to investigate those types of cases, Shaver said.
The officer will be part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Gangs and Violent Crimes Task Force, he said.
“We want to work with other agencies, especially federal agencies, because it’s really going to bring back a lot to our area,” he said.
The experience is also beneficial to the Special Operations Group investigators, he said. It opens up “a vast amount of resources we can have at our fingertips,” Shaver said.
Despite the Department of Homeland Securities connection to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office, the task force does not handle immigration issues, he said.
“Our officer will not be doing any ICE enforcement. It’s not the goal. This really has to do with violence crimes, drugs and gang issues,” Shaver said.
Initially the detective was added to the task force on a part-time basis but has since been moved to full-time status because the partnership has been working so well, he said.
“I see what the officer is doing, and I’m very impressed with the partnership so far,” Shaver said. “Obviously, I can’t get into a whole lot of details (about open investigations),” but the work being done “is going to be a huge benefit for the community.”
This is not the department’s first effort at joining forces with a federal agency. Carpentersville police worked with the FBI on a two-year investigation that culminated in 2007 with charges being filed against nine Latin King gang members, Shaver said.
“There’s been a vast improvement in the area,” he said. “We just really want to keep that going. There are still gangs in the area, and we want to keep the community safe.”
Carpentersville has seen fewer drive-by shootings and a general reduction in call volume in recent years, he said. The illegal drug trade, which includes cocaine and fentanyl, goes hand in hand with gangs, he said.
“There’s always going to be a lot of activity. They are still doing stuff, but they are just doing it differently now, which is another reason to get involved with federal agencies,” Shaver said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
