Law Enforcement

The Law Enforcement Department is responsible for protecting the natural resources and physical properties contained within the 24,000 acres owned and opearted by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. The Department is also charged with providing a safe environment for the visitors who use the preserves by reducing the possibility of injury and crime. These goals are accomplished through a combination of interpretation and enforcement.

The Law Enforcement Department currently has 25 Ranger Police officers, three dispatchers, and one staff assistant, who together work to safeguard the District's 59 forest preserves. Daily activities of the Ranger Police range from patroling preserve pathways on mountain bikes to providing first aid to visitors or enforcing state and federal fishing regulations and District dog-leash ordinances.

CALEA Certification

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Law Enforcement Department is the first park or preserve law enforcement agency in Illinois that has met the accreditation standards for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). Since 1979, only 507 out of 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the country have met the qualifications to receive this award.

Accreditation for CALEA is an extensive, three-year effort. During these rigorous evaluations, more than 300 standards are met by every ranger police officer within the law enforcement department. These standards are in areas of policy and procedures, administration, operations and support services. The accreditation manager for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Law Enforcement Department is Lt. Rick Haake. According to Haake, "Pursuing accreditation is challenging, but the feeling of accomplishment and knowledge that the District's law enforcement department is at the top of the class is worth the effort."

On September 18, 2001, the District's Law Enforcement Department received a plaque symbolizing compliance with CALEA accreditation standards.

For More Information

Click here (81 KB PDF) to learn more about the activities of the Ranger Police