Will County Gazette

The Homer Glen village board recently discussed how to proceed with a village police department.

During the Jan. 9 Homer Glen village board meeting, the board voted on a motion to proceed with a feasibility study on a part-time police force for their village. Homer Glen currently doesn't have any type of village police force, relying on Will County Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Police for law enforcement. The village also doesn't have its own fire department, working instead with the Homer Township fire department. The council discussed putting an item on their April 4 consolidated ballot about conducting a feasibility study for a part-time police force in the village. 

The proposed part-time police force would not mean getting rid of the officers that currently serve Homer Glen but would add some additional support to the village. The ballot item doesn't ask if residents want the police force but asks if are they interested in the village conducting the feasibility study on it. The mayor spoke against proceeding with any steps toward a police force, saying that it would be hugely expensive for the village and residents and he has no problems with how Will County Sheriffs are serving the village.

Trustee Ruben Pazmino said that Homer Glen was really the only municipality in Will County without their own police force, the closest other village without one being Ford Heights. The last time the village did a feasibility study on this was in 2008, and since then trustees have commented that people often come up to them and ask about this topic. Trustee Jennifer Consolino shared several data points about villages nearby, which showed Homer Glen as the odd one out, and acknowledged that the increase of crime in the state and the new Safety Act made them apprehensive of the future and willing to shore up their safety services.

"This has nothing to do with what we want. This has to do with what the people want and this is definitely a hot topic that we've been encountering for how long - six months, maybe longer," Homer Glen Village Board Trustee Jennifer Consolino said at the meeting. "So I'm just doing my due diligence on behalf of our residents and our voters. So let them have the vote on it."

The board voted in favor of putting the feasibility study for a part-time police force on the ballot.