Crime Prevention
OAK
BROOK POLICE CRIME PREVENTION UNIT
The
Oak Brook Police Department's charge is "To Protect and
To Serve" our Community. We always encourage community
members to call upon us for help and report any type of
crime ranging from suspicious activity to home burglaries.
One crime that is sometimes overlooked and not reported
is Domestic Violence.
Domestic
Violence is a very sensitive issue to anyone who has experienced
abuse. From the victim who suffers the physical and/or
mental abuse, to any family member who may have witnessed
abuse, domestic violence can destroy the family unit.
Domestic
Violence knows no cultural boundaries or economical distinctions.
We encourage anyone who is a victim of this crime to contact
the Oak Brook Police Department. Personal information
is held in the strictness confidence and we have compassionate
officers trained to provide assistance.
We also obtain professional
assistance from other agencies in our area.
One agency is the Family Shelter Service (FSS) in Glen Ellyn.
FFS offers the following.
- Immediate safety for domestic violence victims and
their children.
- A twenty-four hour Hotline (469-5650) for immediate
access to information and services.
- Counseling and support groups help families cope with
the effects of domestic violence and is available to
all victims; women, children, men and elderly.
- Court advocates provide support and information about
legal options.
The
following Internet web sites about domestic violence may
be of interest.
Please stop this
circle of violence and seek out help. Your safety and
well being are important to us.
WINTER DRIVING SAFETY TIPS
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NEWS RELEASES
PROGRAMS
The
Oak Brook Police Department Crime Prevention and Community
Relations Unit offers many crime prevention programs to
the residents of the Village and to the business community.
Some of our programs include:
- SPECIAL NEEDS IDENTIFICATION PROGAM FOR RESIDENTS
- Personal safety seminars-at-home-work-travel-shopping
- D.A.R.E. ( Drug Abuse Resistance Education ).
- Vehicle theft prevention seminars
- Home and Business security surveys
- Senior citizen crime prevention-topics cover scams-cons
and charity fraud
- Retail Theft Prevention/Credit Card Fraud/Issuance
of bad checks. These seminars are offered to the retail
store industry.
- Operation Identification is a program residents
may use to engrave social security and or drivers license
numbers on their personal property. In the event property
is stolen, these items can be easily identified and
returned to the rightful owner.
- Neighborhood Watch Programs · Bicycle Safety
Programs
- Block party participation-displays and fingerprinting
of young children
- Active participation in Oak Brook Days (May) and Autumn
Festival (September) both of which are held at the Bath
and Tennis Club in the Village.
- Active participation with different children's programs
at the Oak Brook Park District and summer Safety Village
which takes place in July for three weeks.
- BASSET (Beverage Alcohol Server Seller Training) Seminars.
These seminars are state certified by the Department
of Alcohol and Substance.
- Active participation in the Illinois Crime Prevention
Association. www.wepreventcrime.com
- Active participation in the DuPage Juvenile Officers'
Association and the Illinois Juvenile Officers' Association.
www.iljoa.com
- Active participation in the Illinois DARE Officers Association.
- Illinois
Dare Officers Association
- DuPage
Juvenile Officers Association
IDENTITY
THEFT
Identity
theft is the fastest growing crime in America. The
Oak Brook Police Department is committed to doing everything
possible to prevent your identity from being stolen.
If you find you are a victim of financial identity theft,
please
click
here for in-depth information regarding fighting back
against identity theft. Possessing accurate and all
inclusive records will help you to resolve your identity
theft case more quickly. Here are some tips for organizing
an identity theft case from the Federal Trade Commission
in their publication entitled: TAKE CHARGE: Fighting
Back Against Identity Theft (June 2005).
- Have a plan when you contact a company. Do not assume
that the person you talk to will give you all the information
or help you need. Prepare a list of questions to ask
the representative, as well as information about your
identity theft. Do not end the call until you are sure
you understand everything you have been told. If you
need more help, ask to speak to a supervisor.
- Write down the name of everyone you talk to, what
he or she tells you, and the date the conversation occurred.
Use Chart
Your Course of Action to help you.
- Follow up in writing with all contacts you have made
on the phone or in person. Use certified mail, return
receipt requested, so you can document what the company
or organization received and when.
- Keep copies of all correspondence or forms you sent.
- Keep the originals of supporting documents, like
police reports and letters to and from creditors; send
copies only.
- Set up a filing system for easy access to your paperwork.
- Keep old files even if you believe your case is closed.
Once resolved, most cases stay resolved, but problems
can crop up.
OAK
BROOK POLICE AND BUTLER SCHOOL DISTRICT #53 SHARE CLOSE
PARTNERSHIP
The
Oak Brook Police Department and its DARE www.dare.com
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program celebrated
its ten year anniversary in 1998 with Brook Forest School.
This anti-drug program is taught to all fifth grade students
at this school and consists of seventeen lessons. The
fifth grade students learn how to use resistance techniques
to say no to drugs, learn about the consequences of drug
use, and how to improve the way they feel about themselves
and how to make positive choices in life.
The
Police Department also offers several child safety presentations
to all students at different grade levels in the district.
The
Oak Brook Police Department offers many children's programs
to our area Schools, Day Care Centers, Churches and Park
District. One favorite program for the young children
is Child Lures.
The
children meet the police officer and learn about the officer's
job and day to day tasks. In this program we discuss important
issues of safety, such as how to dial 911 for help from
the police or fire department. We also talk about what
to do if you are lost, and how to be too smart for strangers.
CHILD LURES
SCHOOL PROGRAM
At
the direction of the Village Of Oak Brook President John W. Craig and to address needs of the community, Chief Thomas
Sheahan and the Crime Prevention Unit researched a program
to protect the children of Butler School District 53 from
adult predators. After reviewing various programs and
ideas, the Village of Oak Brook proposed The Child Lures
Program to the school district and both Butler and Brook
Forest Schools PTA groups.
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http://www.childluresprevention.com
The Child Lures Prevention school program teaches children
life skills to keep them safe from sexual abuse, date
rape, abduction, Internet crime, drugs and school violence.
The program, which can be taught within the health curriculum
annually, consists of a straightforward training video
and Presenter's Instruction Guide with easy-to-follow
scripted lesson plans, practice scenarios, follow-up activities,
comprehension assessment, and tools for parental involvement.
A student video with four realistic dramatizations allows
students to clearly visualize just how easily they may
be lured into dangerous situations. |
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A parent guide to the program is provided to every parent
giving them valuable material on the information that
will be discussed and how the program came about. The
Oak Brook Police Department teamed up with Butler School
District 53 and both Butler and Brook Forest PTA to present
a Town Hall meeting to the parents in the Oak Brook community
on November 16, 2005 at the Oak Brook Bath and Tennis
Club. Allison Rosati of NBC 5 News moderated the meeting.
We found Allison Rosati to be a wonderful advocate for
our Child Lures Program. At this town hall meeting, we
provided parents with the Child Lures Program Parent Guide.
The town hall meeting and information on the Child Lures
Program is made available by DVD and handout for the community
at our police department and the Oak Brook Public Library. |
After months of planning, the Oak Brook Police
Department was honored to be invited into the schools to
Butler School District 53 to introduce the first part of
the Child Lures Program on December 15, 2005. Since that
time officers have taught the program to the entire
student body of Both Brook Forest Elementary School as
well as Butler Jr. High School.
The Oak Brook Police Department Crime Prevention Unit
will continue to work closely with the school district
and PTO groups to ensure this program continues and is
presented in the most effective way to the children of
the Oak Brook community.
D.A.R.E.
The current curriculum for D.A.R.E. results in a 10 week
program. These lessons are presented to each 5th grade
class. At the conclusion of the class each student
designs
a D.A.R.E. poster that included the definition of D.A.R.E.
and what lessons they learned from D.A.R.E.
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These posters truly showed the creativity of the Brook
Forest students. Each poster is judged by the D.A.R.E officer, D.A.R.E.
mothers and 5th grade teachers.
A winning poster is selected from each classroom and a
prize given to its creator. An additional student
receives an award from the Chief of Police for special
recognition of a job well done.
D.A.R.E. was established in 1988 and is taught universal
to 36 million students. D.A.R.E. goes beyond traditional
drug abuse and violence prevention programs. It gives
children the skills needed to recognize and resist the
subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment
with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities.
It is the largest drug and violence prevention program
in the world. In order to prevent drug abuse and teach
life skills to the students, the D.A.R.E. curriculum focuses
on the following objectives: |
- Learning to recognize and resist peer pressure to
experiment with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
- Enhancing self-esteem.
- Learning assertiveness techniques.
- Learning anger management and conflict resolution
skills.
- Developing risk assessment and decision making skills.
- Building interpersonal and communication skills.
- Learning about positive alternatives to substance
abuse.
- D.A.R.E. permits students to see officers in a helping
role, not just an enforcement role.
- D.A.R.E. opens lines of communication between law
enforcement and youth.
- D.A.R.E. Officers can serve as conduits to provide
information beyond drug-related topics.
- D.A.R.E. opens dialogue between the school, police,
and parents to deal with other issues.
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