Police Department

A trio of Des Plaines police officers look toward the crowd at National Night Out. — Police-At-National-Night-Out.jpg

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Two Des Plaines police officers stand on the roof of a Dunkin’ during a Cop on a Rooftop event. — Cop-On-A-Rooftop.jpg

Our Mission

The mission of the Des Plaines Police Department, through the utilization of a Community-Based Policing philosophy, is to protect people and property, and enhance the quality of life for all of our citizens.

What We Do

We preserve the peace in a manner consistent with the freedoms secured by the U.S. Constitution of the United States utilizing a fiscally responsible approach. The department is divided into the following functional divisions.

Administrative Division

Police Chief David Anderson is responsible for the overall management and philosophy of the Department, in collaboration with the City Manager, City Council and the entire Police Department. He works with his leadership team to provide fiscal management ensuring that police services are delivered in an efficient and effective manner. Other responsibilities include maintaining operational policies and procedures, personnel, procurement, court services, fleet and equipment maintenance and more.

Operations (Patrol) Division

Includes our uniformed patrol officers who provide 24-hour police service, including responding to calls for service, crime prevention and safety initiatives, traffic safety and other patrol activities.

Criminal Investigations Division

Includes detectives who conduct follow-up investigations for crimes that have been reported. Officers primarily focus on gang and narcotics investigations through aggressive enforcement initiatives.

Support Services Division

Provides ‘behind the scenes’ functions that assist in the overall operation of the Police Department including record maintenance, training, policy management, school and community outreach and education, media relations, special event management and more. This also includes Human Services, which is provided by our two social workers.