Villa Park officials ponder police force expansion

Two Villa Park trustees want the village board to consider ways to add at least one more officer to the police force.

Trustee Dave Hegland said he plans to raise the issue during the board's goal setting session slated for 7 p.m. Monday at Sugar Creek Golf Course, 500 E. Van Buren, Villa Park.

Villa Park has 38 full-time police officers, Deputy Chief Mark Johnson said. The department recently lost one officer due to a retirement.

Hegland said the idea to bolster the number of police officers was reinforced after a recent meeting board members had with representatives from the department.

Police officials told trustees that while there was a drop in the number if misdemeanor arrests from 2005 to 2006, the department handled more felony cases. That required more officers to work longer hours to investigate the felony cases, Johnson said.

In 2006, Villa Park police made 1,080 misdemeanor arrests compared to 1,154 such arrests in 2005.

Meanwhile, the department had 207 felony arrests in 2006 -- 74 more than the previous year.

The starting salary for a new officer is $54,200 along with medical and retirement benefits, officials said.

To help pay raise money to hire new officers, Hegland is proposing the creation of a new vehicle sticker program.

At $25 per sticker, Hegland estimates the program would bring in $300,000 a year for additional salaries.

Trustee John Davis said he'd support a vehicle sticker program for more police.

But Davis said his suggestion is to add a new officer as part of the village's annual budget.

"If you have to cut corners somewhere else, you budget for it," he said.

Trustee Albert Bulthuis said he's undecided about whether an additional officer is necessary.

Beyond the police, Bulthuis said, he'd like to "hash out" the necessary levels "of the whole of staffing in all the village's departments."

Trustee Tom Cullerton said adding more police is something that makes sense as Villa Park works to attract new businesses.

"If it doesn't happen right away, it will in the next two years because of expected development on North Avenue," Cullerton said. "It's a good idea, and it's a reality we will have to face."