The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Public invited to community policing forum

June 26, 2017 – Oak Park residents are invited to join Police Chief Anthony Ambrose and key neighborhood resource officers in a wide ranging discussion focusing on community safety from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thurs., July 6 in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Library.

The event, which is sponsored by the Community Relations Commission, will include a review of summer safety tips and analysis of current police beat areas of concern. Chief Ambrose will also share his assessment of community safety in the Village and take inquiries during a question and answer session.

“The community policing model we follow in Oak Park relies on residents taking an active role,” Ambrose said. “Engaging in dialogue about areas of concern is important to maintaining trust as we work together to keep our community safe.”

Ambrose has served in the Oak Park Police Department since 1984 and was promoted to Chief of Police last August. Ambrose participated in a similar forum hosted by the Community Relations Commission last fall and plans to make such events part of a regular series.

This time he will be joined by some of the eight neighborhood resource officers who work directly with residents to develop policing solutions to neighborhood problems.

“Our neighborhood resource officers are hosting zone meetings every month where they focus on issues directly related to their neighborhoods, but it is also helpful to step back and discuss the big picture and various trends we are seeing across Oak Park,” Ambrose said. “Hearing the concerns of residents and discussing what the Police Department is doing to address those concerns helps make sure there is mutual understanding among everyone involved.”

Click here to view a flyer with information promoting the upcoming forum, which is titled Commitment to Community – An evening with the Oak Park Police Department.

The Community Relations Commission consists of nine members and was established to assure all residents of equal service and treatment. Part of the Commission’s mission involves reducing tension within the community and acting as a hearing panel for resolution of discrimination.

For more information about the Community Relations Commission, visit www.oak-park.us/communityrelations.

Information about the Oak Park Police Department is available at www.oak-park.us/police. Residents can contact the Police Department at police@oak-park.us or by calling the department’s non-emergency number 708.386.3800.