Mundelein, Wheaton, Schaumburg win awards for community work
Mundelein has been honored for separate efforts to improve the community.
The village was one of four agencies selected to receive the 2010 community policing award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and Cisco Systems, taking the honor for towns of 20,000 to 50,000 population.
Law enforcement agencies were eligible to nominate in five categories based on population, with this year's winners being examples of “best practices” in community policing, according to the association.
Winners were recognized at a workshop Sunday at the IACP's annual conference in Orlando, Fla., and will be officially honored Wednesday at the banquet. The village also won the award in 2000.
The village has embraced community policing practices for nearly 20 years, according to IACP. The most recent recognition was for the police department's ongoing program to coordinate with victims and respond to their needs.
Mundelein police met with prosecutors, judges, social service agencies, hospitals and others involved in the process to clarify each others' roles and to ensure victims are not forgotten after a report is made.
“When we have a domestic violence case, what happens to that person? Does anybody follow up?” Chief Raymond Rose said.
The result is the Victims Assistance Notification program, which provides victims with referrals in English or Spanish and is intended to improve police response to crime victims.
“We have now partnered with the victim and made them part of the process,” Rose said, “so that we minimize any further negativity, not just with the police but the whole criminal justice system.”
The village also was one of 26 Home Town Award winners announced earlier this month by Gov. Pat Quinn. The award from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity, honors the contributions of volunteers to improve the community.
In 2008, Mundelein won the Governor's Cup as the top award among Home Town winners for its After School Coalition program. This year, the village was a finalist for the cup in the beautification and sustainability category.
According to the state, the village has developed several community-based programs to address issues regarding minorities, gangs, alcohol, drugs and other quality of life issues.
“A-May-Zing Mundelein A Day of Caring” brought 271 volunteers together to help senior citizens with projects at their homes, such as yard work, clean up and painting.
A total of 2,168 volunteer hours were logged, with the value of donated materials set at $5,500. Besides improving the community, the programs helped bridge the generation gap while instilling young people with a sense of responsibility, according to the village.
Other suburban winners included: the city of Wheaton for a year long effort to celebrate the city's 150th anniversary; Hanover Park for forming an environmental committee and holding electronics and household hazardous material recycling events; and Schaumburg Township for its children with disabilities holiday party, which has been organized mainly by volunteers the past 25 years.