Gurnee officials review proposed police apprenticeship to fill dispatch and records gaps

Deputy Police Chief Jeremy Gaughn presented a proposed police apprenticeship program to the Gurnee Village Board on Feb. 3 that would hire eight full‑time apprentices to cover 24/7 communications, records and community‑service duties while they complete criminal‑justice coursework at the College of Lake County (CLC).

Gaughn said the apprentices would be paid roughly $40,000 a year and that the village would cover tuition, which he said is about $3,200 per semester. “The police apprentice is kind of a hybrid, with responsibilities from community service officers to records clerks to communications operator and a police officer all combined into one,” Gaughn said.

The program is designed to address staffing gaps created by consolidation of the dispatch center and to create a local recruitment pipeline. Apprentices would shadow divisions across the department, participate in monthly ride‑alongs and meet regularly with a supervisor to connect coursework with department duties. Gaughn said most apprentices complete their degree “just before they turn 21.” He added that the civil service board indicated it would waive the usual written testing requirement for an apprentice who meets degree and department standing requirements when they turn 21, allowing the department to hire directly from the apprentice pool.

Trustees asked how applicants would be selected from initial interest. Trustee O’Brien noted the roughly 40 inquiries so far and asked, “40 applicants potentially, 8 positions, and you're just grabbing them right out of high school. How do you know which 8 to grab?” Gaughn responded that CLC will collect resumes and perform initial screening; the college will forward candidates for the village to select the top openings, and an additional supervisor would be hired from outside CLC.

Board members voiced broad support during the discussion but did not vote on the proposal at the meeting. Gaughn said the program is being presented to inform the board and that it is intended to be included in the village budget to be presented March 3. “So not a vote tonight,” he told trustees. Several trustees expressed enthusiasm about hiring local Warren Township High School graduates and other CLC students to build a recruitment pipeline.

The village quantified outcomes cited by Gaughn about the CLC apprenticeship model: an 87% graduation rate and a 98% employee retention rate for similar programs that include employer‑paid tuition and salary, figures Gaughn provided to the board. The department plans to begin recruiting in May, prioritize Warren Township High School graduates and Gurnee residents, then open to the broader CLC criminal‑justice student population.

The board directed staff to include the program in next year’s budget proposal; no formal action or appropriation was taken at the Feb. 3 meeting.