I am a longtime supporter of Oak Park’s police and fire departments. These two parts of village government are critical to our safety and quality of life as people who live and/or do business in Oak Park.
My personal experience has always been highly positive. I have personally benefited from the work of Oak Park fire and police personnel; in fact I have seen how greatly my neighbors have benefitted as well. One of my neighbors still lives in her lifelong home after the Oak Park Fire Department quickly struck her fire so that her home could be rehabbed. Another neighbor with fragile health depends on the Fire Department paramedics to continue to live in her home.
Our fire and police have done so much for us, yet we have sold them short. We have repeatedly elected village governments that have grossly underpaid our firemen and police officers and we have consigned our police officers to a sub-standard police station that was intended to be temporary when village hall was built. And our village board dangerously cut the size of the fire department with the excuse of buying a quint, co-owned with River Forest and eliminating a pumper company, saying that automatic aid with surrounding fire departments negate the need for fuller staffing.
A previous police contract functionally froze police salaries, which have been eaten away by inflation. It is not surprising that this environment has led to a police force with over 40% vacancies, resulting in mandatory overtime and tired officers. We are now seeing this situation worsen as new officers quickly leave for higher paid and less demanding police jobs in other communities. Veteran officers who have committed their lives to Oak Park’s safety have reached retirement age and are retiring.
As citizens we need to stand up and demand adequate funding, salaries and facilities for our fire and police. We critically need the five firefighters added to the department; this is not increased manning, it is returning the fire department to where it was 20 years ago when the village unwisely decreased firefighter positions.
It is raising salaries to the point where we can retain sworn personnel and maybe allow Oak Park to recruit experienced personnel from other departments. It is acquiring the old Oak Park bank building at Madison and Austin to be remodeled into an adequately-sized and equipped police station that even more strongly reinforces our commitment to the eastern part of the village.
Frank Vozak
Oak Park