Aside from the construction of the new police station, the DeKalb Police Department is continuously making improvements to increase its efficacy in the field.

“It seems like everything that’s been in the talks for the last couple of years is actually finally starting to take place,” said patrolman Phillip Brown.

NEW EQUIPMENT

On April 23, the Police Department is rolling out a new software system for the computers in all of the squad cars.

The new system, OSSI, developed by SunGard, will allow officers to write up reports in their squad cars instead of returning to the station. This new system will increase productivity and cut down on wasted time. Officers will begin training with the new system on Monday.

“It’s supposed to be much easier,” said Sgt. Mark Tehan.

UNDERSTAFFED

There is about one officer for every 716 DeKalb residents. This is an unsatisfying number for the Police Department.

“It’s frustrating, because of the work load, long hours, and always playing catch-up,” said Resident officer Jared Burke.

The city employs 61 officers; Tehan said it would be ideal to have 70 officers on staff.

The process of hiring a new officer and getting them fully trained for duty can take upward of 18 months.

NIU AND DPD WORKING TOGETHER

NIU Police and DeKalb Police have been working together.

“Since Chief [Gene] Lowery has taken over, we have gotten a lot more involved with NIU Police,” Brown said. “They come to our calls now, we back them up, they back us up. We’re getting a lot more involved with NIU Police, which is good; we all need to be on the same page right now.”

LOGISTICS

There are currently 30 officers assigned to patrol duty. Burke said he would like to see that number double.

“If you have the numbers, you can break up into small teams and have an impact in neighborhoods,” Burke said.

Patrol shifts last 10 hours, and on a typical day shift there are five to seven patrolmen on the road along with one supervisor.

“I’d love to see 10 patrolmen and a supervisor,” Burke said.

The Police Department has eight Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors, and they are typically driven by patrolmen. A supervisor drives one of the three Chevy Tahoes the police department uses.

The patrol cars are in the process of being painted black and white, instead of the current green and white. Patrol cars last about four to five years before they need to be replaced.

Every patrol shift starts the same way, with a roll call. During roll call, officers are briefed on what has happened in town and what to be on the lookout for. On days of heavy call traffic, briefings may be skipped so officers can get on the road quicker.

The Police Department doesn’t have any set routes for patrolmen. The police department doesn’t want potential criminals to memorize patrol routes.

“They will notice that a certain cop goes to this certain place every time,” Brown said. “It’s just something you don’t want to do; you don’t want to create a routine.”

Officers can be called in when they’re not on their scheduled shift. On occasion, officers must double up in squad cars because there isn’t enough. Each shift has a minimum number of officers that need to be on duty–from five to seven–depending on the time and the day. At times of heavy call volume, upward of 15 officers can be on a single shift.

Brown said he would like to see more squad cars, but the budget for the police department is not enough to cover the cost.