Palatine s practice of community policing involves every member of the department as reflected in the revised position descriptions. The agency s philosophy involves personalized, proactive policing with officers empowered to make problem-solving decisions with the community. In conjunction with the local YMCA officers participate in sporting activities and other games with children from the inner-city of Chicago. Fostering understanding about and compassion for those less fortunate within the community are the driving forces behind the department s annual participation in the Cook County Sheriff s Summer Police Day Camp. The department began its involvement in the summer of 1994.
Officers volunteer to spend their own off-duty time with disadvantaged youth.
Some of the activities the day camp offers are sporting activities, games and museum and zoo trips. Neighborhood Watch is another way officers and the community are given an opportunity to interact with one another. The main thrust of the program in the last few years has been in Palatine s more densely populated areas of the community composed of multi-family housing where more diverse populations are found. The Crime Prevention Unit was initially undertaken with a grant from the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority in 1975. The grant enabled the department to commence its crime prevention program through the training of two officers at the National Crime Prevention Institute and set the unit up with office furniture, supplies and a vehicle.