Police: Problem Oriented Policing Unit

The concept of Problem Oriented Policing (P.O.P.) in Hoffman Estates began in mid-1991. The original program was designed to utilize uniformed patrol division officers assigned to the day and evening shifts. The officers were assigned to specific beat areas of the community for extended periods of time with the officer becoming familiar with the problems reported in a specific area of the community. The advantage to this type of approach is to recognize potential problems and deal with them before they escalate. This type of pro-active approach would not cause the citizen to call police repeatedly for the same problems on the premise that the officer would already be familiar with the problems and be actively working towards a solution.

The P.O.P. Unit has been modified since its inception. It now involves two full-time officers having the benefit of time and resources to solicit help from other Village departments, social service agencies, and residential or business groups to resolve the problem. The Unit’s current duties involve Neighborhood Watch, the Village Liquor Server Training program, bicycle patrol, public speaking engagements, cell phone theft prevention program, bike helmet giveaways, current crime trend studies, Crime Hazard Alerts program and gang graffiti problems.

Other duties include appearing at block parties, working with PTA Youth Programs, citizen surveys, landlord/tenant problems, parking and animal problems/disputes, and any other assignments which require research or follow up. The vast majority of time is spent dealing with neighbor/neighborhood disputes which require more time and effort than a patrol officer can provide.

October 21 2000 marked the grand opening of the Community Resource Center located at 700 Salem dr. The center has been open since early September for the residents of Interlude/ Salem Hill only, providing educational, health & wellness programs and recreational opportunities.

In a pro-active effort, we compile a quarterly summary sheet of all calls for service coming into our Department. By doing this, we can isolate areas with continual problems and repeated calls of the same nature and work on corrective measures.

Read The Hoffman Estates Neighborhood Crime Watch Newsletter

If you would like more information, please email one of the POP Officers

Liquor Server Training and Laws

Crime Alerts

Safety Alerts

Current neighborhood watch newsletter

Click on the links below for information on crime prevention