The Elgin Police Department has launched a special school initiative as part of an effort to strengthen community relationships between students, staff and law enforcement.
“We believe that by having a presence at an elementary school, the Elgin Police Department can better connect with kids, parents and staff,” said Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda. “Police can be a great community resource for everything from personal safety to alcohol and drug awareness.”
The initiative will have Elgin police officers voluntarily adopting one of U-46’s 17 elementary schools to visit classrooms and speak with students and staff throughout the year.
“The initiative is a great way to reach out to students and staff in a positive way,” said Swoboda. “It’s proactive and can help lay the ground work to ensure issues within the schools are resolved quickly.”
The initiative is part of the Elgin Police Department’s ongoing community-policing efforts. Community-policing is a philosophy that has EPD partnering with residents, businesses, schools and civic organizations to improve neighborhoods.