Closing forest preserves police bad for residents

Last week, the Daily Herald covered a bill in Springfield that aims to close the Cook County Forest Preserves Police Department and transfer those duties to the Cook County Sheriff's Office. That would be a mistake. Our police serve a critical and unique role in the nearly 70,000 acres of the Forest Preserves.

Forest preserves officers receive specialized training from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to serve as "park rangers." They are ambassadors to the public, perform conservation roles like checking for fishing licenses and help protect the habitats in our care, including rare and endangered species.

Forest preserves patrons need to be safe and they need to feel safe. Our sworn officers are a dedicated presence on and off our trails in the preserves, conducting high-visibility foot, bicycle and other alternative patrols.

The bill's sponsor noted an incident last year when one of our officers failed to take action to stop a woman being harassed. But that does not reflect the values of the forest preserves or our police. We started an investigation that day and that officer is no longer with our force.

The claim for the bill is that it will save taxpayer dollars, yet Cook County sheriff's officers have much higher salaries than our officers. Cook County Commissioner Luis Arroyo Jr., the chair of the Finance Committee on the forest preserves board, has been clear that if this bill passes, the only way to spend millions less would be to drastically reduce the attention paid to the preserves by law enforcement.

Closing the forest preserves police will do immense damage to our operations and our ability to offer local residents a safe, welcoming place to experience wilderness in Cook County.

Arnold Randall, General Superintendent

Forest Preserves of Cook County