The Orland Park Police Department is launching a program to boost squad vehicle visibility with hopes of deterring crime through use of nonflashing lights.
In contrast to flashing red and blue emergency strobes, cruise lights are steady and used without police sirens. Police Chief Eric Rossi told the Orland Park Village Board this month the department started using the lights in retail areas ahead of the holidays. The board unanimously approved the pilot program Dec. 15.
“They’re out there, they’re a little more visible with their lights on,” Rossi said of patrolling officers. “The object is to deter crime, in case we have criminals looking to prey on any victims coming out of the retail shops.”
Rossi said the pilot program will expand use of cruise lights, which unlike flashing lights do not signal an emergency, to residential areas.
“If somebody needs us, is lookin for us, they can see us,” Rossi said.
Trustee Cynthia Katsenes asked whether use of lights might be mistaken for flashing lights. Rossi said the department is working to communicate the differences to residents and will start out using the lights late at night to avoid traffic disruptions.
Police vehicles are already equipped with cruise lights, Rossi said, so the program will not incur additional expenses for the village.
“We want to see how it works,” Rossi said. “Again, this is a pilot program — if it’s successful, I believe we’ll move forward, we’d like to move forward.”
Mayor Jim Dodge said he supports the initiative but pushed communications to residents, saying he’s witnessed another vehicle improperly stop in the middle lane of traffic after seeing a squad car’s flashing lights.
Drivers are only required to pull over when a police vehicle displays flashing red and blue lights, especially when sirens sound.
“I just think we need to be mindful of how this plays,” Dodge said. “If this works well for us, let’s not be afraid to share this with other towns that might ask our experience with it.”
The Police Department over the past year has looked to expand other programs, including plans to add another therapy dog for department use in 2026 and deploy more emergency response drones.
The six drones in the department’s arsenal are deployed to improve response times when emergency situations arise, such as missing person cases and traffic crashes, allowing officers to assess situations from above.
The village signed a three-year contract with Brinc, a company that provides drones designed to help police officers, in September. Orland Park pays $75,000 per year to operate the drones that, due to federal regulations, are able to travel up to 2 miles and hover 200 feet off the ground.
“We’re always trying to be a progressive Police Department and trying to think about new ideas and how to make the department better and keep the officers safer and the community safer,” Rossi told the Daily Southtown in October.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
