On the Beat

Fifteen years ago, Oak Park's Police Department implemented its community policing initiative, placing a priority on officer visibility in local neighborhoods. 

"Community policing was a big buzzword in the '90s," said Deputy Chief Anthony Ambrose, the former community policing commander. "But citizens here have always been hands on." 

Today, community policing is evident in a number of programs such as Neighborhood Watch meetings and the deployment of bicycle cops to the village's business districts.

But the Residential Beat Officer (RBO) program is clearly a source of particular pride, at least among the department's top officers.

In short, the program designates officers to one of eight districts, though budget cuts have forced one officer to be responsible for zones 7 and 8, both south of Interstate 290, from Austin Boulevard to Harlem Avenue.

Instead of police headquarters, these officers work from their homes, which are typically located within their respective beats. Their main mission is to serve as a liasion to the neighborhood.

Here's the department's map of districts.

Sgt. Dave Jacobson was one of the original participants in the program. He's now in charge of it. 

Jacobson likened the position to that of "mini police chiefs" throughout the village. 

That means taking calls — neighbors get the officer's work cell phone number — about all sorts of issues, from noise complaints to neighbor disputes.

"There's nothing tougher than not getting along with your neighbors," Jacobson said. "You need to get both sides at the table. And they need to be happy with the result."

Police officials said the RBO jobs are mostly about solving problems, not locking people away — which Ambrose said suits the department just fine.

"We've learned that there are other options other than just enforcement," he said. "What [residents] want is resolution to a problem. We bring many solutions to the table."

For example, when residential beat officers are called to a more serious situation, they're prepared to suggest local resources from a host of partner agencies, such as counseling aid from the Thrive Center or  a safe place for domestic violence victims at Sarah's Inn.

(The same applies to most patrol officers responding to a call, regardless of whether they're an RBO or not.)

"We're sort of like customer service agents," said Raphael "Finn" Murphy, the residential beat officer for Zone 3, which stretches from Austin Boulevard to Harlem Avenue and Chicago Avenue to the Metra train tracks.

Police officials said none of the community policing programs would be successful without citizen involvement, which is abundant in Oak Park.

"It's all about two-way communications," Murphy said. "We're only as good as the community is."

Here's the breakdown of the police beats and their corresponding residential officers:

Zone 1:  From Austin Boulevard to Ridgeland Avenue and North to Chicago Avenues. Officer: Anthony Coleman, 708- 606-1938.

Zone 2:  From Ridgeland Avenue to Harlem Avenue and North to Chicago Avenues. Officer: Elizabeth Dickson, 708-606-1936.

Zone 3: From Austin Boulevard to Harlem Avenue and Chicago Avenue to the Metra train tracks. Officer: Raphael "Finn" Murphy, 708-305-9779.

Zone 4: From Austin Boulevard to Oak Park Avenue, between the Metra train tracks to Madison Street. Officer: Robert Primak, 708-305-9780.

Zone 5: From Oak Park Avenue to Harlem Avenue and the Metra train tracks to Interestate 290. Officer: Paul Razzino, 708-305-9781.

Zone 6: From Austin Boulevard to Oak Park Avenue and Madison Street to Interstate 290. Officer: Mark Scott, 708-305-9792.

Zones 7: From Austin Boulevard to East Avenue, between Interstate 290 to Roosevelt Road. Officer: John Rumoro 708-305-9782.

Zone 8: From East Avenue to Harlem Avenue, between Interstate 290 to Roosevelt Road. Officer: John Rumoro, 708-305-9782.