Prospect Heights reopens police station to public

After being closed for more than two years due to budget constraints, the Prospect Heights police station is again open to the public from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Chief Jamie Dunne is staffing the front desk of the station at 14 E. Camp McDonald Road with records personnel and 14 volunteers who attended the recent citizens police academy then took additional training.

“Residents are greeted by someone at the front desk, and if they want to make a report an officer can be dispatched to the station,” said Dunne. “If they want to pay a parking ticket or other local ordinance fine they can drop that off. They can ask for various forms such as firearms identification or safety brochures we have. They can request to see the watch commander or chief of police or make an appointment to see someone. They can interact with a person instead of over the phone.”

Mayor Nick Helmer said he was thrilled with the reopening, which is not costing the city any additional money.

“I wanted people to have access to the police station,” he said. “Its closure signaled many things and seemed like a deficiency in the department. It looked like we don’t have cops in town, which wasn’t the case, of course.”

The city opened the station informally and conducted additional training during March, said Dunne. It officially opened this week.

Last month the department received 212 volunteer hours, including 122 on weekends and after 5 p.m. The biggest need for volunteers is weekends and from 4 to 8 p.m., Dunne said.

During overnight hours citizens who come to the station can request an officer by using a phone in the outer lobby. The phone connects callers to Northwest Central Dispatch System, which also handles the department’s 911 calls. This was the method used at all times during the years the station was closed to the public.

Citizens interested in volunteering should attend a citizens academy first, Dunne said. The schedule for the next one has not yet been announced.