The Oak Park Police Department announced Monday that it’s bringing back a program supporting department and community relations following a year-and-a-half hiatus.
The department announced the launch of a new iteration of its residential beat officer program, which assigns officers to work as neighborhood liaisons. The program was suspended in August 2024 due to low officer staffing levels, according to the village.
Officers Eric Locke, Raphael Murphy and Christine Simkus lead the program, with the village divided into eight beats that the three will share. In addition, veteran Foot Patrol Officer Michael Kelly will continue to support the Downtown Business District as a liaison to the business community, according to the village.
The officers will hold regular meetings in the neighborhoods they serve to discuss issues, crime trends and answer questions, according to the village.
“I’m pleased we can once again promote our excellent RBO/NRO program to the Oak Park community,” said Police Chief Shatonya Johnson in a statement. “As a former beat officer myself, I know how important communication is for both residents and the department. The RBO program is an important tool that helps us engage in the type of neighborhood outreach that helps our community thrive.”
The village is encouraging Oak Park residents to reach out to their neighborhood’s RBO to offer feedback or for crime prevention advice.
The department’s officer recruiting efforts made the program’s return possible, village officials said. The department finished 2025 with 92 sworn officers on staff and is still eyeing 116 as a goal for the coming months, according to the village.
In 2019, the department had 109 sworn officers. According to the police department’s annual report for 2025, 2024 brought the greatest amount of officer turnover that the department’s seen in recent years. The department hired 19 new officers that year but lost 20 to either retirement or resignation, ending 2024 with 85 officers on staff,
In response to the hiring deficit, Oak Park has changed officer compensation and benefits to try and bring more police recruits into the fold, including salary increases, more generous family leave offerings, $4,000 sign on bonuses to recruits who earn spots as patrol officers, retention bonuses and approved hiring for lateral transfers from other police departments, Johnson said.
The department will also operate with a larger budget this year in part due to increased funding for recruiting.
