Sleepy Hollow, West Dundee still considering police merger

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The village of Sleepy Hollow is taking another look at a proposal to combine its police department with the village of West Dundee. | File~Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 11, 2012 8:05AM

Sleepy Hollow is again considering a proposed merger of police services with West Dundee.

Sleepy Hollow Village President Stephen Pickett said this week that members of both the village’s finance committee and a recently created ad-hoc committee are evaluating the issue.

“We’re moving on with our due diligence,” Pickett said.

The issue will then go before the Sleepy Hollow Village Board for more consideration.

As to when that will be, “Probably sometime sooner than later,” Pickett said.

The consolidation issue goes back a few years for the villages.

In spring 2010, the boards of East Dundee, West Dundee and Sleepy Hollow commissioned a firm run by former Buffalo Grove Village Manager William R. Balling to study the possibility of sharing police services.

Balling estimated the three villages could cut their total annual policing costs from $5.96 million a year to $4.69 million by combining operations and reducing the number of supervisors, facilities and cars.

He did note that Sleepy Hollow would save less money than the other two villages because, with a lower level of service and many part-time officers, it now spends the least amount on a per-capita basis.

According to the previous plan, at first the operation would be run by a West Dundee chief and lieutenant, using the West Dundee police station as the main base. East Dundee and Sleepy Hollow personnel initially would continue to be paid by their home villages, although some likely would be laid off or demoted.

As the current personnel retired or took other jobs, Balling said, the organization would change gradually over 10 years or so until it was an entirely West Dundee police force, with the other villages paying West Dundee to provide service.

East Dundee officials said they might be more receptive to combining police services if that combination took place under a new, independent governmental body rather than having the two smaller villages gradually merge their police departments into that of West Dundee.

Sleepy Hollow beat

Sleepy Hollow opted to reject the merger.

“At that time, the proposal was not acceptable to Sleepy Hollow,” Pickett said, “but we did say the door was open for any future considerations someone might have.”

Six weeks ago, West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said, officials opted to put forth a new proposal to Sleepy Hollow that would essentially add a new beat to the West Dundee Police Department.

“Currently, we have two beats within the community for West Dundee, so the third beat would be Sleepy Hollow,” Cavallaro said. “And Sleepy Hollow would be treated no differently than the other two beats.”

According to public documents, under the new structure, West Dundee could hire certified and qualified officers from Sleepy Hollow, and Pickett would appoint one commissioner to the West Dundee Police Commission for representation in the hiring process. Existing Sleepy Hollow part-time sworn police officers would be considered for hire on the West Dundee Police Department based on qualifications and recommendation of the Sleepy Hollow Village Board.

Maximum staffing for Sleepy Hollow would be four full-time and two part-time officers. The staffing would provide for a full-time officer to be located in the newly established Sleepy Hollow beat at all times. A part-time records clerk would be needed to maintain the additional Sleepy Hollow workload. Sleepy Hollow officials would be allowed to determine if additional patrol services are necessary for their community.

As for the police department, it would continue to operate at the facility on Route 31 under the legal entity of West Dundee Police but also would be identified with Sleepy Hollow insignias. Police uniforms would include a Sleepy Hollow lapel pin. Marked vehicles would display both villages’ markings. The Sleepy Hollow facility would be available to residents to file reports or to see an officer.

Given the current economic climate, Cavallaro said the proposal warrants consideration.

“Consolidation of emergency services on a regional basis can be of significant benefit to both communities and improve service levels while providing some cost savings,” Cavallaro said.