Hanover Park working overtime to combat violence

On any given day, Hanover Park might have 10 to 12 additional police officers on the street thanks to a new gang suppression initiative.

Several area departments and the Illinois State Police are rerouting manpower - on their own dimes - to assist a community plagued by a recent spike in violent crime.

The staffing boost can't continue indefinitely, but it's one of several short-term tactics Interim Police Chief David Webb is counting on to curb the alarming trend.

"We're seeing a lot of cross-border activity, so it's in all our interest to help neighbors," he said. "We need extra people on the street right now."

Flooding gang hot spots with a highly visible police presence can deter crime from taking place. Officers are also quicker to respond should an incident occur, Webb said.

Schaumburg Police Sgt. Jim Nebl said his department is among those assisting. Two members of Schaumburg's Special Investigations Bureau will be in Hanover Park two days a week as part of a Summer Mobile Field Force.

"It's a mobile and flexible unit in which officers patrol problem areas or respond to problems as they come up," Nebl said.

Over the weekend, state police could be seen patrolling Hanover Park, as could supervisors typically assigned to the station. The department implemented mandatory overtime for officers and suspended all administrative activities indefinitely.

As a result, expenses are growing and routine tasks aren't getting done such as buying and installing much-needed mobile data computers for squad cars.

"We can do it for a while but there will be a ripple effect down the road," Webb said.

In addition to staffing, the department is reviewing crime-related ordinances. On Thursday, the board is expected to amend the nuisance abatement ordinance so that only two incidents in six months are needed to impose a hefty fine, instead of three incidents in 12 months.

Police will begin strictly enforcing the parental responsibility ordinance, which calls for parents and guardians to exercise reasonable control to prevent minors from "committing any delinquent act."

Police will also continue gang awareness events for residents. One last week packed the Laurel Hill School gym.

In the long term, more manpower is key. Hanover Park employs 54 sworn officers including Chief Ron Moser, who is currently serving as acting village manager. That's about 1.4 officers per 1,000 people - well below most surrounding towns.

Webb said all crime and gang prevention programs were scaled back or absorbed years ago because of budget cuts. He'd like to see officers back in schools and neighborhood watches.

"The root of solving this problem is education, especially reaching kids early on," he said. "And (residents) can be the eyes and ears of a police department."

Webb praised his police force, citing 18- to 20-hour days for many of the officers who quickly solved three of the village's four recent homicides. Five others are working "around the clock" to find the killer of Jesus Sanchez, the 16-year-old who died May 23 in a gang-related shooting.

"This is a dedicated department that's going to put a stop to what's been going on," Webb said.