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Gurnee board approves joining Protect Lake County behavior‑threat coordination MOU
Summary
Trustees voted to join Protect Lake County, a multidisciplinary behavior‑threat assessment and management collaboration that staff said will provide consultative case review, training and resource‑coordination across law enforcement, prosecutors, health providers and schools.
The Village of Gurnee on March 3 approved a memorandum of understanding to join Protect Lake County, a multidisciplinary program staff described as a countywide consultative network to review and manage concerning behavior and threats.
Police Chief Smith briefed trustees on the Protect Lake County initiative, which staff said began after a Department of Homeland Security grant and university partnerships (University of Illinois‑Chicago, DePaul and Loyola) helped develop a pilot threat‑assessment framework. The program will bring law enforcement, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office, health‑care and social‑service providers, schools and businesses together for case consultation, education and resource coordination. The memorandum of understanding before the board establishes that Gurnee will participate as a member agency and accept confidentiality requirements outlined in the agreement.
How it works and limits Staff described Protect Lake County as primarily consultative and emphasized that it does not conduct independent community surveillance. Participation is triggered by an originating law‑enforcement contact: when a Gurnee police detective or officer receives a complaint or identifies concerning behavior, that case can be referred to a case review team that will convene, advise on mitigation strategies, and help connect the person to services. Officials explicitly stated the program is not an investigative body that will proactively mine public communications; rather, it is a coordinated, confidential response mechanism to reports that begin with local police contact.
Privacy, training and governance Trustees asked about privacy protections and legal exposure; Chief Smith said confidentiality and information protections were included in the MOU and that healthcare, social‑work and clinician participants would handle protected information consistent with applicable laws while the group focused on prevention and intervention. He said ongoing training funded through the DHS grant and built with the partner universities will train designated Gurnee officers and local partners on case intake and confidentiality rules.
Vote The board approved the MOU by roll‑call vote (6‑0). The item moves Gurnee into the Protect Lake County network and makes designated Gurnee staff eligible for the grant‑funded training program that supports the initiative.
