President Paul Munk welcomed Club members and led the Club in the Pledge of Allegiance.and the Four Way Test.

Among MANY happy members, here are a few of the happy dollars given: Ghida Neukirch who is honored to work with the entire police force and for all their professionalism and integrity; Len Tenner presented a check for $162 - the combined ages of himself and his wife Bobbi on their recent birthdays; Bill Pigati to thank everyone for supporting Opera at Del Rio's, which is almost always sold out; Greg Diethrich reminding everyone about the upcoming events at MYA including the Walgreens Winners Recital this Sunday, the 19th at 5 p.m. at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall - the event is FREE! See more MYA events in "This and That" 

 

Our guest speakers were members of the Highland Park Police Department's finest - Officers Reyes Montemayor and Kevin Roberts. They came to speak about the Police Beat Coordinator Program. Officer Montemayor is the Police Beat Coordinator Technology/Video Officer. Officer Roberts is a Police Beat 90 officer.

 

In an effort to foster better partnerships within our community, the department is enhancing their current problem solving efforts through the implementation of the Police Beat Coordinator system within the patrol division. PBCs will address issues which cannot be successfully managed during an initial police officer visit. Examples of this include ongoing neighbor disputes, recurring quality of life concerns such as graffiti, parking issues, noise complaints, etc.  The team will collaborate and develop an appropriate strategy designed to mitigate or reduce the problem.

 

The PBC system is designed to strengthen communication between our officers and the community they serve. Five officers, one for each geographical area or beat, have been designated as the lead for their respective beat. This means that these officers will help coordinate and be involved, at some level, in almost all aspects of issues incurring within their beats. They will organize beat meetings throughout the year and will actively engage in working directly with their residents and business owners. This program offers the opportunity for community members to develop a more personalized working relationship with the department and City.

 

Residents and business owners are encourages to contact their PBC when they have any questions pertaining to law enforcement or an issue which they need help with. However, if the issue is an emergency, time sensitive,or a crime in progress, residents and business owners should call 911 to request immediate police service.

 

Officer Roberts discussed some statistics pertaining to the HPPD  and the Smart 911 program. Smart 911 is a new and free service to help you when you call 9-1-1. Once you've signed up, Police, Fire and EMS will be aware of important information including medical issues, current location and even pets- that will help locate you in an emergency to help you. This will ultimately save time in an emergency when every second counts. You can go to smart911.com to learn more and sign up.

 

Both Officers Roberts and Montemayor opened the floor for questions. He also mentioned how being nice and understanding to police officers when being pulled over can be very helpful in that situation!

 

Thanks to Mike Babian for his notes!

Everyday is a great day to get something special for yourself or someone you love and also give our club a boost by reminding you to shop at smile.amazon.com, and Amazon will donate to Rotary Club of Highland Park- Highwood when you shop!