Residents call for chief to resign: Polo board backs Christen during outcry after string of crimes
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| Police Chief Dennis Christen |
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POLO – As the city flounders amid an unprecedented crime wave, a handful of dejected residents spent more than an hour sniping at the police department and demanding answers from longtime Chief Dennis Christen.
Vitriolic questioning at Monday’s City Council meeting was directed at Christen, who acknowledged the department’s inability to solve four of five crimes committed in this usually quiet city.
“I don’t feel like you guys do what we pay you to do,” 47-year-old David Ferris told Christen. “I’m at the point where I think it’s time to clean house.”
Police have recorded 34 incidents of burglary or theft in the 18 weeks since June 1, when officers noticed a trend. Seven of those cases have been solved, and police say they have no leads on the 24 others.
Ferris came to the meeting because, he said, police have failed to fully investigate the attempted abduction of his 12-year-old daughter more than 2 weeks ago.
While the girl was on a 2-block walk home from a friend’s house, an unidentified assailant tried to lure her into his car with promises to take her to McDonald’s, Ferris said.
Three days after the incident, police contacted area media outlets to solicit tips. Ferris said two sets of neighbors had phoned the Polo Police Department “multiple times” to discuss the incident, but no officer has followed up, he said.
Christen said he would ask the officers about it.
Things have gotten so bad in Polo that the City Council voted Monday to install motion-sensor floodlights in city parks because of unchecked vandalism.
Several attendees said residents might have taken better preventive measures to shore up their homes if only they were aware that the burglaries, thefts and home invasions were a pattern.
“We did a very poor job of notifying the public,” Mayor Mark Scholl said. “That’s something we need to figure out a way to do better.”
Christen said there’s little more police can do.
The police force in this city of 2,500 consists of the chief, one full-time sergeant and three full-time patrol officers. They have no detectives, and most forensics work is done by the Illinois State Police or the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, Christen said. Nine part-time officers fill in on sick days and vacation days for the full-time staff, he said.
“I could have 10 guys working in a night, and things still happen,” Christen said. “Times have changed, and people are going to have to start locking their doors.”
“My guys are swamped,” he said. “Usually you take care of what happens on your shift ... and you go home. ... With all this, we’re behind on everything.”
Ferris accused police and the council of trying to sweep Polo’s growing crime problems under the rug.
“They want to turn the cheek,” Ferris said. “They want it to go away. ... Who’s going to move here if they know there’s all this crime?”
Scholl said that isn’t the case – that this usually sleepy city has just been slow to wake up.
“I just for the first time in my life got a key for the front door of my house,” Scholl said. “Never would I have imagined I’d live to see the number and type of crimes this city has seen this summer.”
Despite a few calls for Christen’s termination, the chief’s job isn’t in jeopardy, Scholl said. The council will back him as long as he can address some of the concerns residents brought up Monday.
Scholl and Alderman David Ackeberg, who heads the Police Commission, plan to meet with Christen sometime next week to discuss those concerns.
Among the early proposals to help alleviate pressure on the Police Department is a neighborhood watch program.
It would be driven primarily by residents and would work with police to keep officers clued in to suspicious activity.
“I wouldn’t want to see it be a flash in the pan,” Scholl said.
To take action
To join a neighborhood watch, call Polo City Hall at 815-946-3514 with your name, address and phone number.
Polo parks to get new scoreboards
In addition to addressing crime, the Polo City Council also:
■ Announced a 12 percent rate increase in health insurance for the city’s 10 full-time employees.
The city spent about $100,000 on health benefits this year. How much of the increase the city plans to shoulder and how much employee premiums will increase is up for discussion at the next council meeting in 2 weeks.
■ Announced donations from the Polo Lions Club and Polo resident Don Sherrick for three new scoreboards.
Two will go to Millard Deuth Park, at 700 W. North St., and one to Polo Community Park, at 303 E. Webster St.
