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Northlake swears in four officers, honors two for life‑saving response; chief outlines staffing and response metrics
Summary
Northlake officials on Oct. 9 introduced and swore in new police hires, accepted Red Cross awards for two officers who led a life‑saving response on May 9, and reviewed departmental metrics including priority‑call response times and staffing plans.
Northlake officials on Oct. 9 sworn in four new Northlake Police Department officers and recognized two officers with American Red Cross certificates for extraordinary personal action after a May 9 emergency response that enabled organ donation.
Chief Crawford introduced Cameron Neal, Adrian Gomez, Derek Kirkwood and Michael Realy and said they will help the department reach targeted staffing levels. "We should be up to 32 officers by 2026," he said, noting efforts to hire and retain staff and to add two corporals to strengthen supervision on each shift.
Marcela Fajardo, chief communications officer for the American Red Cross, presented certificates to Sergeant Micah Heyman and Officer Derek Kirkwood for their actions at an incident May 9. "Because of your efforts, the hospital team was able to honor the gentleman's decision to be an organ donor," Fajardo said. She said the Red Cross has honored more than 3,100 people with life‑saving awards since 2018.
The council also heard a year‑long department performance briefing. Captains reported priority‑1 response times of roughly "6 minutes and 41 seconds," priority‑2 at "6 minutes and 48 seconds" and routine calls at about "8 minutes and 6 seconds." Captains credited increased self‑initiated traffic enforcement and added traffic units for higher traffic‑stop totals: 12,526 stops for the year, yielding 5,221 citations and 7,274 warnings.
Command staff described technology and training investments, including a drone program and planned participation in a regional SWAT team, and identified shortcomings in facilities—limited training space, near‑capacity evidence/property storage and parking constraints—that the department said will need attention as the community grows.
The presentation closed with council praise for the department’s recruiting and retention work and a reminder from a county official that bystander CPR training can make a critical difference in time‑sensitive emergencies.
The council took no formal action on staffing or facilities at the meeting; the briefing was presented for information and future planning.
