Peoria Park District Police Department

Protection of park facilities and equipment falls under the responsibility of the Park Police Department. A volunteer police auxiliary unit and Boy Scout Explorer Post 900 supplement the police staff, while a "Park Watcher" program involves citizen participation in monitoring the parks and facilities. You can help keep repair costs at a minimum by becoming a Park Watcher. Report crimes, accidents, serious injuries, suspicious persons or actions. Help us protect life and property and prevent crime and injury. Parks belong to you, and it only makes sense to save your dollars!

Kidz ID: An Identification Program for Children
Children are our community’s most precious commodity and with this in mind the Park District Police have initiated a Kidz ID program.

The primary objective of the program is to provide parents with an inexpensive identification card for their children. Should a child become lost, the Kidz ID card provides instant vital information for authorities regarding the child’s identification. Every parent should have a Kidz ID card, as should babysitters, grandparents or other caregivers. It is also helpful for children to carry the card when traveling or taking a field trip in case they become lost.

A Kidz ID card is about the size of a drivers license and contains your child’s photo, thumbprint and other physical information. Children may receive a Kidz ID at a Park District sponsored event for just $1 per card. 

Outside agencies wishing to have the Park District Police Department come to their event will be charged $50 for up to 30 children. There will be an additional fee of $1.25 for each additional child. If your organization or day care group would like the Park Police to make a special trip out to your location, contact the department at 686-3359 to make arrangements.

The Eagle Eye Neighborhood Park Watch Program
The Eagle Eye Neighborhood Park Watch Program is a cooperative effort among park districts, schools, police and community residents aimed at reducing vandalism and criminal activity in our parks. Community residents are key to the program’s success—they assume more responsibility for activities taking place in their own neighborhoods by keeping watch over parks and playgrounds.

Seemore the Eagle is the mascot who represents the program. With his assistance, children are taught the importance of proper behavior in parks and how to take care of park property and equipment. Seemore visits schools and recreation sites and through his "Eagle Eyes" children learn to "see" the value of parks and recreation in their lives. They learn parks are worthy of preserving and protecting.

Every resident can participate in the program simply by watching for incidents of vandalism, unruliness, littering and other obvious wrongful activities and then reporting them to authorities. With the citizens of Peoria watching, vandalism and criminal activity in our parks don’t stand a chance!

For more information or to schedule a presentation, contact Park Police at 686-3359.

Considering Law Enforcement? Consider These Opportunities
Auxiliary Police
If you’re looking for experience, training and a chance to further your career in law enforcement, the Peoria Park District Auxiliary Police is the way to go. You’ll get all the training and knowledge and interact with law enforcement firsthand. If you’ve thought about becoming an officer, this may be the career "jump start" you’ve been looking for.

As for requirements, you must: be at least 21 years old; complete an application and interview; pass a background check, including fingerprinting; possess a valid Illinois drivers license; possess a valid Firearms Owner Identification Card. If interested contact Park Police at 686-3359.

Park Explorers
If you’re 15-20 years old and thinking about a career in law enforcement, take a look at the Peoria Park District Explorer Post #900. We offer a very unique Explorer program. You’ll learn some of the things a police officer does on a daily basis including handcuffing, arrest and control tactics, how to conduct car stops, the proper way to write citations and report writing. We also offer a variety of guest speakers during the year. If you’re interested in this hands-on training, contact the Park Police at 686-3359.

Cops for Kids
Cops for Kids is a non-profit organization that began over 10 years ago as an effort to promote constructive lifestyle choices for area youth. Police officers often see families whose children fall victim to their environment and grow up believing that their way of life–living with abuse, poverty, drugs, gangs and lack of supervision–is acceptable. The Cops for Kids program allows cops and kids to spend time together and develop positive relationships. Having positive role models like these are critical in the development of these at-risk populations.

Volunteers from area police departments—including the Park District Police—and the community raise money through donations and special events to fund the following programs:
Fans for Families: Box fans are given to those who might need them during the warm months because of age and/or health problems.
Community Service Trailer: Trailer is taken to locations where families might need food, clothing or household items due to a crisis beyond their control (fire, water damage, weather).
Christmas Party: This is the biggest and most expensive undertaking, but also most rewarding. Families are invited to lunch and to meet Santa. Each child is then given several presents and the family is given a food basket for a Christmas feast.

One-hundred percent of the money and materials raised through the Cops for Kids program goes to children and their families. It is the kindness and generosity of the greater Peoria area that makes all this possible. If you would like to make a donation, send your check payable to Cops for Kids to: Cops for Kids, c/o Peoria Police Department, 600 SW Adams, Peoria, IL 61602.

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