Crime Prevention & Safety
Crime Prevention & Safety
Community Relations bridges the gap between the Police Department and the community in an effort to reduce or remove the opportunity for crime. Community Relations personnel will strive to identify and anticipate high-risk areas within the Village and develop plans or programs to reduce or eliminate such situations. The identification, anticipation, and development of such plans will be accomplished through the use of crime analysis. Personnel will also strive to increase public awareness by establishing and implementing community relations programs for the community and for the department.
Links
Safety Information
Home Security Checklist – complete your own home security inspection.
Exterior Doors
- All doors should have deadbolts (1′ throw)
- Door between attached garages should have a dead bolt
Windows/Sliding Doors
- Lock windows
- Consider using window locks when windows are open
- Use a charley bar or wood bar on sliding doors to prevent doors from being forced open
Lighting
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- Keep some exterior lighting on at night in the front and backyards
- Consider motion lights/fluorescent light bulbs
Garage Doors
- Keep windows in garages locked
- When leaving a garage unattended, even for a few minutes, close the garage door
Landscaping
- Avoid excessive landscaping which allows concealment
Be Wary of Telephone Solicitations
The Village of Schaumburg received complaints from residents and business professionals regarding telephone solicitations of money on behalf of the Village of Schaumburg or one of its Departments. The caller implies or claims some affiliation with the village or its police and fire departments.
- The Village of Schaumburg and Police or Schaumburg Fire Departments are not affiliated in any way with these organizations. The village or any of its departments do not endorse them, nor do we receive funds for assistance from them.
Phone Scams
If you believe you are dealing with a con artist or a solicitor who is misrepresenting themselves, contact the Schaumburg Police Department to report the incident. Dial 311 to report this type of incident or any other non-emergency incident.
There are many organizations that may claim some sort of affiliation with a village department when soliciting citizens and businesses for contributions. These groups may be legitimate but they are all private organizations or associations. Citizens and businesses should be aware that most telephone solicitations are not made by the actual organization itself but are contracted out to a telemarketing company. As their compensation, most of these companies retain over 50% of every dollar donated.
Never allow a solicitor to falsely convince you to donate to any cause by implying or stating that your contribution will somehow benefit the Village of Schaumburg or one of its departments. If you decide to donate money to any organization please follow these simple guidelines:
- Make sure you understand which organization wants your money. Police and fire departments do not solicit money over the telephone, but some unions do.
- Ask for specific information about how your donation will be used.
- Ask where your donation will be used, especially if you prefer your donation to be used locally.
- Ask who you are talking to. Get the name and write it down. If you’re called by a person identifying themselves as a member of the police or fire union, don’t be fooled into thinking you are talking to a police officer or firefighter.
- Ask the caller if he or she is being paid to make the call. Ask what percentage of your donation the organization will receive.
- Never agree over the phone to donate. Always ask for written information and read the material thoroughly.
- Always donate by check, never with cash.
Prevention Tips
- Never let strangers into your home
- Use your caller ID before answering the phone
- Check out a charity before you donate
- Never give personal information such as credit card, checking account or a Social Security number
- Don’t send cash by Western Union or prepaid debit/credit card
- Don’t accept any prizes/gifts where you have to pay upfront fees
- Do not confirm your account information over the phone or by email
Safety Programs
What is the Care Trak Program?
The Care Trak program is a tracking device that assists in locating people with special needs who have a history of wandering from their home. The Care Trak bracelet contains a transmitter with a radio frequency which a person can wear as a wrist or ankle bracelet. Should the person wander, the Schaumburg Police Department can begin the search using a radio tracking system.
How the Program Works
A Crime Prevention Specialist sets an appointment with the client and responsible family member to discuss the program
Family members complete forms and provide a recent photo. A deposit is required which includes costs for the monthly battery change and battery tester
- The transmitter is attached to a bracelet; family is given a battery tester and Daily Transmitter Tester Log
- Batteries for Care Trak are changed monthly. If the battery should fail, family should contact Crime Prevention immediately
- Should the Care Trak client run away or go missing, the family should contact 9-1-1.
- Care Trak-trained personnel will respond using Care Trak tracking equipment to begin the search
For more information about the Care Trak program, contact Paula Diaz, Crime Prevention Specialist, at (847) 348-7274 or by email.
Attention:
Child safety seat inspections are offered on an appointment only basis. A limited number of inspections are available Monday through Friday at either 8 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Inspections will be done for Schaumburg residents only.
Up to (2) two parents or caregivers are allowed to attend the inspection at the Police Department. Parents/caregivers must wear a mask at all times during the inspection. Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes will be available at the inspection station.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment or discuss an alternative to coming into the Police Department or need general information, please contact contact Sandy Golliher at (847) 348-7221 or by email at sgolliher@schaumburg.com. If you schedule by email, you will receive a confirmation email with the date and time of your inspection along with other information.
Effective Jan. 1, 2019, Illinois law will require children under age 2 to be properly secured in a rear-facing child restraint system unless they weigh more than 40 pounds or are more than 40 inches tall. Never install a rear-facing safety seat in front of an active airbag.
Studies show that a minimum of 80% of child seats in motor vehicles are misused. Local inspections reveal misuse to be much higher – closer to 90 to 95%.
This misuse takes many forms:
- Child seat not secure in vehicle
- Child not secure in child seat
- Shoulder straps in wrong slots
- Defective or recalled child seat
- Child facing forward too soon
- Child too big/small for child seat
- Child moved to seat belt too soon
Tragically, many of these seemingly small errors result in serious injuries or fatalities. In addition to installation errors, child seats may have manufacturer recalls which affect the ability to protect your child.
Find the right seat for your child
Why Is It So Difficult?
There are more than 50 plus different child seats on the market. These are in addition to older models which remain in use. Add to this 30 different types of vehicle seat belt systems. One particular vehicle has four different types in the same car. Without knowing the type of seat belt system you have, and how it works, it is almost impossible to make sure your child will be secure. Finally, there are hundreds of vehicle models on the road: cars, SUVs, vans, mini vans, pick-up trucks, etc. No one answer works in every case.
The Schaumburg Police Department has two officers who have completed a 32-hour training class and are nationally certified to inspect child seats and offer advice.
Free Inspections
Child Safety Seat Inspections are done by appointment for Village of Schaumburg residents only. To schedule an appointment, please call Sandy Golliher at (847) 348-7221 or email your requests or questions to sgolliher@schaumburg.com.
Expectant Parent
If you are an expectant parent, please call to schedule your inspection appointment at least one month prior to your due date. This will ensure that your seat is properly installed before you bring the baby home and will avoid making last minute appointments. Please make sure your child seat is already installed in your vehicle prior to making an appointment.
Each seat takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to inspect. You will need to bring your vehicle owners manual and the manual for the car seat being inspected.
If you are not a Schaumburg resident and need information on where to have your seat inspected or you would like more information on Child Passenger Safety please visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
If an officer observes persons loitering on private property and the owner has an active No Trespassing agreement on file at the Schaumburg Police Department, the officer has the authority, based on the situation, to:
- Issue a written warning to the offender to leave the premise
- Issue a local ordinance violation citation
- Arrest the offender
If you are a property owner and would like to participate in the No Trespass Program, please do the following:
- Complete the No Trespass/Loitering Application annually.
- Purchase No Trespass/Loitering signs through the village for each entrance. Signs are available from Public Works for $28.00 each.
- If a compliance ticket hearing or court appearance becomes necessary, a property owner will be contacted and asked if they are able to appear.
For more information, contact Crime Prevention Specialist Paula Diaz at (847) 348-7274 or by email.
Project Help is a community-wide effort that assists the police in identifying and returning home those persons who become injured, lost, and/or separated from their family/caregiver due to a disoriented state caused by cognitive impairment.
Cognitive impairments often seen by police officers include Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease, or Developmental Delay.
Because of the inability of those with cognitive impairments to direct officers to a caregiver, it can often take hours for officers to find a family member or friend to bring the resident home. This lengthy investigative process may cause undue anguish upon the individual and families involved. Project Help seeks to diminish this anguish by giving caregivers, families and friends the opportunity to place their loved one’s identifying information, along with a photograph, in a log book at the Police Department. The information is confidential and for police use only.
This information can then be accessed by officers who come upon persons who have become disoriented to place and identity. Once the officers have located the information sheet on the citizen they are assisting, a caretaker can be contacted immediately and a long, anxious wait at the Police Department can be averted.
To register complete all the requested information on the Project Help Form and attach a photograph. This form can then be delivered to the Schaumburg Police Department front desk or mailed to:
Paula Diaz, Crime Prevention Specialist
1000 W. Schaumburg Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194
For additional information, or questions, Paula Diaz can be reached at pdiaz@schaumburg.com or 847-348-7274.
If you do not want an original photograph attached to the form, you can request that a copy be made at the Police Department and your original picture will be returned to you. If no photograph is available, arrangements can be made through the front desk or Crime Prevention to take the photograph at the Police Department.
Did you know the Schaumburg Police Department provides a safe location for the public to conduct online purchases and exchanges? The designated “MeetUp Spot” is located in the front parking lot of the police department, 1000 W. Schaumburg Rd., and is under 24-hour video surveillance. The green sign indicating the “MeetUp Spot” identifies the best place to park at when participating in an exchange. The safe exchange location helps eliminate the need for two strangers to exchange items at a home or residence. Having a designated public space to conduct a transaction can help deter criminal activity and keep both the buyers and sellers safe. The public is encouraged to continue using best safety practices for all exchanges in addition to using this safe location whenever possible. For more information, contact Crime Prevention Specialist Paula Diaz or dial 311 in the village.
Additional Resources
Domestic Violence Response Team
- Domestic Violence Response Team
- Email the Domestic Violence Response Team
- Northwest Suburban Alliance on Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is a serious problem with far reaching effects in communities. According to the Illinois Attorney General’s office, 31% of American women report having been physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend. Approximately 240,000 pregnant women are battered each year. Domestic violence costs American businesses $5.8 billion each year: $4.1 billion in direct medical and mental health expenses, and $ 1.7 in lost productivity. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States, April 2003.) Domestic violence affects all ethnicity and socioeconomic classes.
The Schaumburg Police Department has taken a victim sensitive approach as it relates to domestic violence and implemented a change of policy of zero tolerance against domestic abusers. Officers will make an arrest for domestic battery when probable cause exists, as opposed to the Illinois Supreme Court ruling that states an officer may make an arrest for domestic battery when probable cause exists. Complaints are signed on behalf of the victim when the victim is reluctant.
The Schaumburg Police Department’s Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) is made up of eleven patrol officers from all three shifts, three social workers, one crime analyst, three detectives, one sergeant and one lieutenant.
The goals of the team are:
- To provide effective and improved service to victims of domestic violence.
- To provide a thorough, professional investigation for the State’s Attorney’s Office.
- To have a current understanding of domestic violence, the laws that pertain to it, and the versatility to adjust and change with the times.
- To offer a combined, consistent departmental approach from social services, patrol, administration, and investigations in an attempt to break the cycle of repeat calls and escalating violence.
The Domestic Violence Response Team collects information on all domestic related incidents. The crime analyst compiles data to determine when the police department has responded to three or more domestic incidents in a six month period to the same address or with the same parties. All domestic reports are reviewed by the social services department and the DVRT supervisors. The criteria for DVRT response are domestic arrests and multiple calls for service. Every domestic battery arrest is assigned to the team for follow up, as well as places or persons who have had three or more police responses. When these “Domestic Hot Spots” are identified, they are more closely monitored for intervention.
When the Domestic Violence Response Team responds, they will:
- Answer questions
- Provide or give a recommendation for counseling
- Review all options
- Appraise the victim of their rights
- Prepare the victim for criminal court
- Keep the victim current on court dates
- Assist in obtaining an order of protection
The DVRT team provides ongoing training to the Schaumburg Police Department employees during roll call and annual mandatory training sessions. Topics include:
- Orders of Protection (civil and criminal)
- Unlawful Visitation Interference
- Victim Sensitive Interviewing
- Teen Dating Violence
- Elder Abuset
- Abandoned Baby Law
- Crime Victim’s Compensations Program
The Domestic Violence Response Team provides public education outreach to schools, businesses, and organizations to address the issues surrounding domestic violence.
Identity Theft
You may become a victim of identity theft if someone steals key pieces of information about you — such as your name, address, date of birth, social security number or even your mother’s maiden name. Theft of these items could enable someone to commit any number of acts of fraud including, taking over your financial accounts, opening new accounts, applying for credit cards or loans, social security benefits and use of rental services. The goal of identity thieves is to spend as much money as possible before the person realizes they have been victimized.
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shoreditch et. Nihil anim keffiyeh helvetica, craft beer labore wes anderson cred nesciunt sapiente ea
proident. Ad vegan excepteur butcher vice lomo. Leggings occaecat craft beer farm-to-table, raw denim
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moon officia aute, non cupidatat skateboard dolor brunch. Food truck quinoa nesciunt laborum eiusmod.
Brunch 3 wolf moon tempor, sunt aliqua put a bird on it squid single-origin coffee nulla assumenda
shoreditch et. Nihil anim keffiyeh helvetica, craft beer labore wes anderson cred nesciunt sapiente ea
proident. Ad vegan excepteur butcher vice lomo. Leggings occaecat craft beer farm-to-table, raw denim
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