- COPS Office Photo Contest – March Winner
        - Drawing Together When Bombs Go Off: Building Community Resilience in the 21st Century
        - New Resources for Law Enforcement Leaders on Combating Child Sex Trafficking 
        - National Efforts with a Focus on Local Agencies: The Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing

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### Skokie, Illinois: Community Policing through Shopping and Hugs

*The COPS Office is pleased to feature the March 2016  winner of the Community Policing in Action Photo Contest—the Skokie Police  Department.*Their depiction of community policing features Sergeant Scott  Anderson hugging a young girl after accompanying her during a Cops with Kids  shopping event in December, 2014. 

The Skokie  Police Department serves a population of approximately 66,000 residents in  a city that covers just 10 square miles. The community, sometimes referred to  as “The World’s Largest Village,” borders Chicago and Evanston and offers a  suburban feel in an urban setting. The area features two major shopping  centers, rapid transit, and a major expressway that brings many people to and  from Skokie on a daily basis. Despite the area’s offerings and high traffic,  its crime issues are minimal. “Even though we border Chicago and you hear about  major crimes there, the likelihood here is very slim. There were no homicides  in Skokie last year,” said Chief Anthony Scarpelli, who has served as the  department’s leader since 2011. 

The low incidences of crime can be attributed to many  factors, including community policing. Skokie officers invest quite a bit of  their time in community engagement through numerous initiatives like Cops  with Kids, Neighborhood Watch, Business Watch, Know Your Officer, National Night Out,Officer Friendly Program, area  bike patrols, and saturation patrols, to name a few. These initiatives ensure  that officers and community members can have non-enforcement-related  interactions on a regular basis. 

Cops with Kids is a particularly special program for Chief  Scarpelli. In collaboration with the local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)  Lodge, Skokie officers are partnered with 100 area youth for a shopping  extravaganza at Walmart. The youth are told that they can purchase whatever  they want up to the maximum amount on their gift cards provided by a fundraiser  sponsored by the FOP. The youth are selected by the local schools based on  need. “Police departments don’t have a great gauge on who is deserving or  needy,” said Chief Scarpelli. “We felt the best experts are the schools. They  have great insight on which families are in need.” 

    “This is one of the most heartwarming experiences of my  career. Kids are asking if they can buy light bulbs and canned goods and  housewares and clothing. One kid asked to buy a scarf and gloves for his  grandfather.” Chief Scarpelli went on to describe his personal experience with Cops  with Kids. “One girl that my wife and I walked around with wanted a doll. We  knew she wanted this particular doll and when we walked down the aisle we found  it, but it cost $35.00. The doll right next to it cost $17.00. After looking at  both, she put the least expensive doll in the cart to save money for other  things for her family. My wife and I promised her that we would pay whatever  the difference was so that she could get the doll that she wanted. It just  tears at your heartstrings.”

    Another initiative that Skokie officers find as important as  Cops with Kids is a gift-giving opportunity. After being approached by a local  charity to distribute toys, games, and stuffed animals, officers began  surprising kids—and parents—with gifts during routine traffic stops and visits  to schools. So far, officers have distributed over 300 of the toys, games, and  stuffed animals donated through this effort.Sergeant John Moersfelder emphasized the importance of police presence on bicycles.  He stated that patrolling parks and areas with high incidences of crime on a bicycle is a helpful strategy since officers on bicycles can move much more quietly, reach areas inaccessible by patrol cars, and offer a more personal approach to policing than officers in vehicles.

    In addition to cycling through neighborhoods, the Know Your  Officer program is a direct effort to familiarize community members with their  neighborhood officers. Beat officers go door-to-door to introduce themselves  and provide information on ways to reduce crimes of opportunity. This also  provides the department a great way to collect resident contact information to  continue the distribution of information through other channels such as email  and social media. 

    Both Chief Scarpelli and Sergeant Moersfelder have extensive  experience in law enforcement with Skokie. The Chief has been with the  Department for almost 34 years and Sergeant Moersfelder has served the city for  14 years. Their passion and commitment to maintaining a safe community for  Skokie residents is evident, not only by the community engagement work of the  Department, but also by the low incidences of crime. 

    The COPS Office congratulates the Skokie Police Department  for being one of the 12 winners of the COPS Office 2016 Community Policing in  Action Photo Contest and for its commitment to community policing. 

    Written with contributions from Skokie Police Chief Anthony  Scarpelli and Sergeant John Moersfelder. Photo courtesy of the Skokie Police  Department. 

Najla HaywoodSpecial ContributorThe COPS Office

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COPS Office Photo Contest – March Winner | Drawing Together When Bombs Go Off: Building Community Resilience in the 21st Century | New Resources for Law Enforcement Leaders on Combating Child Sex Trafficking  | National Efforts with a Focus on Local Agencies: The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing

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