CHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT

STRATEGIC PLAN

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

2014-2019

Benjamin Franklin

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from the Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chester Police Department Motto


Mission Statement, Code of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Introduction / Executive Statement


Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Area of Focus (Goals and Objectives)
1.

REDUCE CRIME & THE PERCEPTION OF CRIME

2.

RECRUITMENT/ RETENTION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

3.

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

Objectives and Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Objectives and Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Objectives and Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT & EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Objectives and Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF

I am proud to present the Chester Police Department 5-year Strategic Plan.
This document serves as a collaboration of participation from the community, our
city government, our professional partner agencies, and my staff.


I want to thank the hundreds of citizens and the many business owners
for participating in the Community and Business Surveys. Your input has been
invaluable.

The Chester Police Department is in transition. We have begun to commit
ourselves as an organization that focuses on the challenges of this community in an
effort to provide the best possible law enforcement services.

As you review this document you will observe two basic themes that can
be best described as partnerships and priorities. This organization embraces the
concept that the most effective method for fighting crime requires a partnership with
the community. This Department also recognizes the importance of establishing
and focusing on priorities that meet our communitys needs.

An effective strategic plan is a flexible document that serves as a guide
for the Department as we look to the future. I have established a number of basic
reviewing and reporting practices that will ensure the continuous application of
this document through regular reporting to our City Government, along with biannual evaluations and progress meetings. This strategic plan serves as a symbol
of our commitment to providing the best possible police services.

I hope that this document conveys the sincere determination reflected by our
dedicated staff to work toward establishing a top-notch law enforcement agency.
Sincerely,

M. Ryan Coffey, Chief of Police

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

CHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT

MOTTO, MISSION STATEMENT, & CODE OF ETHICS

Courage, Pride, Commitment

Mission Statement
The Mission of the Chester Police Department is to work in cooperative
partnership with the community to reduce crime and enhance the quality of
life for all the citizens.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

Code of Ethics
As a member of the Chester Police Department, my first duty is to serve the
people of the City of Chester, Illinois. I will safeguard lives and property,
protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or
intimidation and the peaceful against violence and disorder.
Above all else, I shall respect the constitutional rights of all people to liberty,
equality and justice. I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to
all, maintaining courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule,
develop self-restraint and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others.
I will be honest in thought and deed in both my personal and professional
life. I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations
of my department.
Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in
my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in
the performance of my duty. I will never act officiously or permit personal
feelings, prejudices, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions.
With no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals,
I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor,
malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never
accepting gratuities.
I recognize the badge of my office as a symbol of public faith and accept
it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the ethics of the police
service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals,
dedicating myself to my chosen profession.

Law Enforcement.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

Values
TRUST: We understand that trust is essential to our effectiveness in the
community and we must maintain the highest standards of professional
conduct and competency in order to maintain that trust.
COOPERATION: In order to be successful and provide the level of service
the community desires and expects, we must work cooperatively and with
the support of individual citizens, businesses, churches, civic organizations
and other government service providers.
FAIRNESS: We have an obligation to provide quality customer service
without malice, prejudice, or favor; treating every individual with courtesy,
dignity and respect.
PROTECTION OF LIVES AND PROPERTY: The protection of lives and
property is our primary responsibility and it is for that purpose we exist. We
must protect all persons against those elements in society which seek to harm
and/or deprive our citizens of their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. We will apply all our resources to the prevention of crime and the
apprehension of criminals. We have an obligation to provide the perception
of a safe environment and secure our neighborhoods, streets, parks, schools,
businesses and homes.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

Executive Statement
We will be seeing many exciting changes in the next few years at the Chester Police
Department. This Strategic Plan provides an outline of the goals and objectives
for our Department to help facilitate positive, structured and fiscally responsible
change.
The Chester Police Department is comprised of nine full time officers. This growing
full time roster is supported by nine part time police officers. The Chester Police
Department also provides 24 hour a day, seven day a week telecommunications. This
division of the CPD is comprised of three full time telecommunicators, supported by
six part time telecommunicators.
Although we are a small police department, the need to have a focused responsive
plan to meet our communitys needs is no less important. It was with this thought
that in February of 2014, we assessed and reflected on our own needs and priorities
internally. We sought out the insight and perceptions of our own members. We then
reached out to the members of our community for input.
A Safety Survey was distributed throughout the community requesting input from
the general public regarding concerns and perceptions on the topic of crime and
public safety needs.
We then targeted our business community with a similar survey asking many of
the same questions, but attempting to garner the input from the perspective of the
business owner.
Lastly, we reached out to our peers. We sought advice and input from neighboring
law enforcement agencies, social services, emergency medical services and more.
We asked how we might be able to be better partners as we work to hoan our areas
of focus.
What we have learned is reflected in this document. I think you will find that the areas
we have chosen to focus on are without a doubt important to the community as we
move forward. This Strategic Plan consists of four areas of focus: (1) Reduce Crime
and Perception of Crime, (2) Recruitment, Retention and Professional Development,
(3) Equipment and Technology, and (4) Community Involvement and Educational
Programs.
This Strategic Plan is presented to serve as a guide as we look to the future of the
Chester Police Department and the community we serve.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

REDUCE CRIME & THE PERCEPTION OF CRIME

In the Police world reducing crime and the perception of crime has been on
the top of the list of police priorities in the United States for decades. It is this
important objective that has spurred the development of both CommunityOriented Policing and Problem-Oriented Policing concepts.
Society often chooses where to live, shop and vacation based on their
perceptions of crime in a given community. Research indicates that public
safety efforts, successful or unsuccessful, can influence economic growth
significantly. Therefore, identifying some specific objectives and strategies
for fulfilling our goal of not only reducing crime, but the perceived crime
within our community, is paramount.
Another area of concern that influences the perception of crime in a given
community is environmental factors. Research, nation-wide, supports a
theory often described as the broken windows theory. The broken
windows theory is a criminalogical theory which suggests that the decay of
a neighborhood serves as a sign that no one cares, signaling an opportunity
for criminals to conduct their criminal behavior without consequence,
thereby creating an environment of crime. This theory was introduced in
a 1982 article by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling.
The belief in the validity of this theory serves as the basis for many of the
following objectives.
Objective: Become the regional standard in effective drug enforcement

efforts

Strategy: Develop an effective intelligence-gathering method

assign one officer to organize and centralize all incoming

intelligence.

Strategy: Create an atmosphere of teamwork and inclusion when

investigating felony drug cases.

Establish regular department meetings for the specific purpose

of sharing drug intelligence and assigning specific details in

response.

Develop investigative teams

Courage, Pride,
Commitment


Strategy: Support the needs of staff to effectively investigate drug

investigations.

Support staff by accommodating schedules to fully and thoroughly

investigate drug cases.

Procure the tools needed to effectively and safely investigate drug

cases.

Objective: Increase presence in neighborhoods and identified problem

areas

Strategy: Identify and increase presence in high crime areas.

Develop an effective method for regular dissemination to staff of

crime trends, patterns, and targeted problem areas.

Broaden the approach and/or definition of police contacts to

include positive police interactions with members of the

community.
Objective: Increase police involvement and presence in area schools

Strategy: Develop partnerships with school administrators and

faculty.

Address school safety concerns and develop a training project

geared toward administration, faculty and other school staff

members.

Establish a better dialog with administration and faculty in the

interest of developing programs to interact with students on a

more frequent basis.

Create annual projects or academic competitions with school

students focused on specific age groups that cover the entire K-12
Chester student body.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

Objective: Refine preparation efforts for large scale incident management

Strategy: Formalize procedural responses for vulnerable locations

throughout the community.

Establish a committee comprised of CPD staff and representatives

of local schools, medical care facilities and others to participate

in planning sessions in an effort to establish a regular

comprehensive large-scale emergency response procedure.

Participate in planning and procedural drills and meetings

throughout the community.
Objective: Prioritize traffic enforcement based on the concerns of community

Strategy: Address roadway congestion, traffic violations,

commercial motor vehicle violations.

Participate in the problem-solving process of addressing traffic

flow in certain areas of town.

Target traffic details to deter traffic violations that enhance the

danger associated with vehicle travel.

Acquire the necessary tools and equipment to meet the

unique needs of this community relative to the increased

commercial motor vehicle presence.
Objective: Address low income rentals and vacant and dilapidated buildings

Strategy: Establish programs that support Incentives for raising

standards in multi-housing units

Work with City government officials to adopt ordinances that

strengthen requirements for rental property owners.

Create incentives for property owners who regularly meet

established standards.

Strategy: Take action against property owners who fail to

maintain and allow properties to fall into disrepair.

Take aggressive action against negligent property owners

and properties generating higher volume calls for service.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

10

RECRUITMENT, RETENTION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Chester Police Department must strive to establish a reputation
as one of the most highly regarded small community police agencies in the
region. This comes with a positive change and focused emphasis on high
standards, values, and integrity.

The process starts with the recruitment and retention of the best
candidates and employees. A commitment to consistent training and useful,
high-quality equipment to ensure we attract the best available recruits is
essential. These measures are necessary for the development of the highest
quality employees.

One significant factor is establishing opportunities for career
advancement and promotion. To attract proactive career driven professionals,
you must train the next generation of supervisory staff. Both present and
future Chester Police Officers will be motivated by the possibility of
advancement. Both our present staff members and future staff members
expect us to meet our end of the bargain by preparing them to one day take
on the role of leader. To do so, we must also keep staff trained and updated
on changing technology to prepare the department to move into the future.
Our employees are our most valuable assets. We must invest more time
and energy in their development as their careers evolve. This investment
provides a healthy work environment and establishes high standards for our
staff from the start. The level of service we wish to attain cannot be reached
if we allow our staff to satisfy the basic duties and minimum standards and
fail to train the next generation of leaders.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

11

Objective: Staffing & prioritizing

Strategy: Staff based on need and priority

Develop an accurate and sustainable statistical data collection

system.

Establish meetings with department personnel to discuss staffing

levels relative need and priority.
Objective: Increase staffing levels to meet the needs of this community

Strategy: Prepare analytical research and report regularly to city

government officials.

Provide regular educational research to City leaders supporting

the necessity to fully staff our Police Department, relative to

economic growth, effective crime fighting, and resource allocation.

Support the concept of specialization among staff members.

Promote specialization relative to pre-established department

priorities.
Objective: Recruitment & retention

Strategy: Take measures to seek out and attract the highest quality

candidates.

Develop a strong partnership with the City of Chester Board of

Police Commissioners so that clear understanding of Department

needs and priorities are known.

Develop an on-line recruitment program that showcases the

Chester Police Department and what it means to be a Chester

Police Officer.
Objective: Develop a chain of command

Strategy: Provide research regarding the need for supervision

Conduct a needs assessment for front-line supervision.

Establish a leadership training and continuing-education

program for front-line supervision.

Develop a fair and balanced promotional testing /

application process with the Board of Police Commissioners.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

12

Objective: Advanced training / Continuing education

Strategy: Continue to advance our professional training efforts.

Encourage and support professional development

Encourage and support the pursuit of advanced certification and

specialty training.

Establish a system for more direct monitoring of continuing

educational training attendance and participation.

Oversight from management should be implemented to ensure that

training topics are aligned with departmental priorities.
Objective: Create a culture of teamwork

Strategy: Recognize excellent performance

Develop a protocol for a formal recognition structure to

acknowledge service above and beyond standard performance.

Establish a program for recognizing years of service.

Strategy: Encourage programs and events that promote camaraderie.

Establish a program designed to support social functions

throughout the year.

Promote and support employees who participate in

community oriented programs and charities.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

13

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

To remain effective, the Chester Police Department must strive to keep up with
cutting edge technology. An important aspect of successful law enforcement
is the ability to put the absolute best equipment in the hands of our officers and
telecommunicators. Properly planned and funded technology procurement
will most certainly improve the efficiency of any police department, thereby
creating a higher standard of service to the community.
Objective: Establish accountability and continuous monitoring of

equipment

Strategy: Assign supervisory personnel to the care and maintenance

of existing equipment

Detailed and direct supervision over the use and care of equipment

must be established.

Develop a method to increase accountability relative to the care

and maintenance of equipment department-wide.
Objective: Research for the procurement of new police equipment

Strategy: Conduct a needs assessment for new police equipment

Assign staff to research equipment based on need, quality, cost and

maintenance.

Establish a more routine method to research funding sources

for equipment and technology purchases.

Strategy: Consider officer safety in establishing equipment

purchase priorities

Research the effectiveness of necessary equipment to protect the

safety of our officers.

Research new technology relative to equipment that could elevate

officer safety.
Objective: New police facility

Strategy: Begin to pursue the possibility of an entirely new

facility to serve as the Chester Police Department.

Consideration and preliminary planning should be in place for a

new facility that can meet the needs of a 21st century law

enforcement agency.

This project should be a true investment in a facility that can meet

the needs of the police department now and for many years to come.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

14

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

Research supports the concept that community involvement can have a notable
impact on crime fighting efforts. We feel that educating the members of our
community will help shield them from potential victimization. Therefore,
this Department has committed itself to increased communication between
the Police Department and community members which will allow us to
better meet those needs and address the concerns of our citizens.
Objective: Better utilize social media and internet capabilities

Strategy: Publicize department successes and good performance

Recognize community involvement in crime prevention efforts.

Promote problem-oriented policing concepts in an effort to

educate and garner more community involvement and support

with crime fighting methods.

Inform the community on crime trends, problem areas and

hot topic crimes.

Strategy: Use social media and department website for

educational purposes

Provide educational links and material for community members to

access regularly.

Promote available educational links and material on social media

as a means advertising.
Objective: Increase the availability of community interaction

Strategy: Develop personal safety classes and neighborhood safety

courses

Offer to host programs and presentations on a number of law

enforcement topics relative to the interest and concern of the

community.

Facilitate and sponsor programs and host speakers on substance abuse.

Utilize local media outlets, and social media to advertise and educate.

Strategy: Develop programs related to the interests of specific age

groups

Develop presentations geared toward small children, adolescents,

teens, adults, and the elderly.

Establish partnerships with facilitators to assist with advertising to

the desired targeted age group.

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

15

City of Chester 2014

Mayor Tom Page

Ward 1
Ward 2
Alderman Nancy Crossland
Alderman Donald Clark
Alderman Dan Geisen
Alderman Dan Ohau

(Public Safety Committee Chairman)

Ward 3
Ward 4
Alderman Russ Rader
Alderman Mike Blechle
Alderman Robert Platt
(Public Safety Committee)

(Public Safety Committee)
Alderman Ray Allison

City Clerk Nancy Eggemeyer
City Treasurer Donna Clendenin
City of Chester Board of Police Commissioners
Chairman Jim Holder
Ron Rathert

Gary Knop

Chester Police Department Staff

(Our most important asset is our employees)
Police Officers
Police Officers
Telcommunicators
M. Ryan Coffey
Bobby Hughes
Debra Carlton
Danny Walls
Chris Bradley
Kim Gross
Robert Young
Kevin Woods
Michelle Fortman
Bobby Helmers
Mark Beam
Barb Holley
Joe Jany
Kenneth Stout
Tina McGee
Brandon Crain
Brad Coleman
Sharon Simpson
Marc Stout
Aaron Runge
Ken Hill
Steve Laramore
Doug Hogan
Noah Wunderlich
Joe Crain
Tony Lochhead
Jim Winters

Courage, Pride,
Commitment

16