Chief: Hawthorn Woods police staffing at critical low

With recent layoffs, Hawthorn Woods' Police Department is at a critical low in staffing that could compromise officer safety and service to residents, Police Chief Jennifer Paulus said.

Right now, the department has 10 full-time police officers - down from 16 officers in November - to patrol roughly 8 square miles and protect 7,500 residents.

Five of the officers were laid off as part of village-wide cuts that have taken place since November. Two others have resigned; one of the laid off officers was rehired.

Paulus said she'll ask the village officials to approve the hiring of one additional officer, at a salary of about $45,000 a year.

"In all likelihood, we will have at least one officer resign in the next 6 months," Paulus said.

If any other officers leave, the department would be unable to have two police officers patrolling the streets at all times, as is the current practice.

Paulus said two is the minimum, so that each officer has backup nearby.

"In today's world, there are a lot of calls that require a minimum two-officer response," Paulus said. "If I have one officer on the street, then I have to rely on surrounding agencies as backup for my officer."

Hawthorn Woods has an agreement with the Kildeer and Lake Zurich police departments to provide backup officers when needed. The department also can request help from the Lake County sheriff's police.

But the village should be able to protect its residents itself, Paulus said.

"I've asked the board to consider hiring one officer in the 2009 budget proposal. I've asked them to be proactive so we don't drop back to a level that would impact our service level."

The police department's proposed budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year, which starts in January, is under $1.5 million. That's cut back from the 2007-2008 fiscal year budget of $1.9 million.

Yet, with the village in a tight financial crunch, it's unclear where officials would find the money to hire additional officers at this time.

Hawthorn Woods laid off eight employees last November and six more across all departments in March bringing the number of village employees to 18, down from 32 employees last fall.

The layoffs and other cuts were made so the village didn't carry over a deficit into next year.

Hawthorn Woods Trustee Neil Morgan said the village has to find the money somewhere.

"That's what we need to work out jointly with the finance committee," Morgan said. "For me, officer safety is paramount. A single-officer shift is something we as a board need to do everything we can in order to avoid putting our officers in that situation."

Morgan said officials need to also consider how much police overtime is costing the village, versus the cost of adding a new officer.

The village's finance committee is expected to discuss the possibility of hiring a police officer as part of the fiscal year 2009-2010 budget review, Village Administrator Jim Bassett said.

The committee's regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 14, but it may be moved up a week to Oct. 7 to accommodate members' schedules.