Police, fire give monthly reports; village approves $20,000 police sign-on bonus for new hires

The Village of University Park heard monthly reports from its fire and police departments and learned the village is moving to boost police recruitment with a $20,000 sign-on bonus for new officers.

The fire department reported 165 calls for service so far this year and described a hazardous-materials response to an ammonia leak in the industrial park that was contained and resolved. The department also responded to a small dormitory cooking fire at Governor State University.

Police Chief T. Mitchell told the board the police department answered 652 calls for service in February, including 31 accidents and six confirmed calls of shots fired across three incidents. Chief Mitchell urged residents to remove valuables from vehicles, schedule package deliveries when someone is home and to call police immediately if they see suspicious activity.

Village Manager Scott described staffing and recruitment steps in the police department and said the teamsters approved a sign-on bonus of $20,000 for new officers who agree to a four-year retention period. "We... approved increasing it to 20,000 that is what they're going to be getting all the new onboarding police officers," Manager Scott said during the meeting. The bonus is intended to improve retention and recruitment given regional pay pressures.

Trustees also discussed traffic-safety concerns at Western and Exchange Avenue and asked staff to coordinate with Will County on street lighting and camera installations. The board did not take further formal votes on infrastructure funding at this meeting.

What’s next: staff will continue recruitment and present onboarding plans for new officers; trustees asked for updates on lighting and traffic-safety measures at the critical intersection.