Homer Glen will seek an independent study of the village’s police needs, just weeks after the Will County Board agreed to hire an outside agency to review the sheriff’s department’s contract with Homer Glen.
The Village Board approved on Wednesday seeking a consultant to do an analysis of police services and look into whether the village should establish a municipal police department.
The action Wednesday only requests proposals from consultants interested in performing a study. No money has been spent for this project, and the board has not voted to establish a municipal police force, attorney Michael Pasquinelli said.
Since the village incorporated in 2001, it has worked out an agreement with the Will County sheriff’s department to provide police services within its borders at a cost of about $5.2 million a year.
Last month, the Will County Board agreed to pay an outside consultant up to $75,000 to provide a financial analysis of the sheriff’s department’s services provided to Homer Glen, noting it would be the first time an outside firm would be engaged to create a formal study.
Members of the Homer Glen board said they appreciate the services provided by the county sheriff’s department and believe establishing a municipal police department would be an expensive undertaking.
Starting a police department from the ground up could cost more than $20 million, Trustee Rose Reynders said.
But it is still a question worth exploring, some trustees said.
Trustee Mike Lepore said residents often ask why the village does not have its own department.
“This is actually something people do ask me more often than you would think,” Lepore said. “Educating the public is part of what we have to do to make sure everything runs smoothly. This may be necessary just to put this issue to bed.”
The village’s study would also cross-reference the county’s study, officials said.
“I want to know that our ducks are in a row, too, and that we are paying the proper amounts,” Trustee Curt Mason said. “I want to make sure we have adequate coverage. I want to make sure that we are matching apples to apples.”
Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said she believed the County Board’s police analysis was initiated for political reasons, noting it is election season.
But she said she has to look out for Homer Glen and be prepared to defend the village when it is time to negotiate with the county.
County auditor Kevin “Duffy” Blackburn said last month a third party consultant the county hires would provide an objective and fair analysis of the true cost of policing Homer Glen. He said the county plans to choose a consultant that specializes in law enforcement to look at all the direct and indirect costs that go into the services provided.
Trustee Robert Schaller said the village’s study could also look at the future of Homer Glen and what police services would be needed if the village adds more homes or businesses, especially along its 159th Street corridor. He said while he is happy with the services from Will County now, a growing village may need to have a municipal department.
He said the village’s study is not adversarial to the Will County sheriff’s department; rather it’s helping the village plan its future.
In 2023 Homer Glen voters were asked via an advisory referendum question if the village should explore creating a part-time police department. The proposal was defeated after just under 63% of voters were against it.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
