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La Grange Auxiliary Police
The La Grange Auxiliary Police Unit is a volunteer
organization whose
main purpose is to support the regular department when additional manpower is
required. The unit started out as a Civil Defense organization during the 1960's and
evolved into an auxiliary police unit as the needs of the village changed. The
La Grange Auxiliary
Police unit consists of 16-20 non-paid auxiliary
officers
who donate over 3,000 hours annually.
Auxiliary officers provide additional manpower for such village events as
parades, charity runs, homecoming parades and other functions. They also
provide a police presence at Village events, such as the annual Craft Fair, the
West End Art Fair, the annual Christmas Walk, and they also provide foot patrols
and bike patrols of the Central Business District. Twice each week auxiliary
officers provide a security check of citizen's homes who notify the village they
are on vacation. Officers also ride along with members of the regular
department during the busier evening hours to provide a second officer
responding to calls.
Auxiliary officers wear police uniforms similar to the regular
 department's
except for a different color shirt. Once they complete a state-mandated 40 hour
firearms course the auxiliary officers are armed. There is an on-the-job
training program in police procedure and additional training is made available
through the same organization that trains the regular officers.
To become an auxiliary officer you must be 21 years old a high school graduate,
pass an extensive background check, drug test and physical and must not have
been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor. The applicant must also have
a valid drivers license and be a United States citizen. Uniforms are provided
by the department but weapons and leather is the responsibility of each
officer.
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