The Partner | January 2023
Sheriff Idleburg Elected Vice Chair of Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce Sheriff John D. Idleburg has been elected as Vice Chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB). ILETSB’s Executive Committee nominated and elected Sheriff Idleburg on December 8, 2022. Sheriff Idleburg will preside as the Vice Chairman of ILETSB’s Executive Committee and also serves as a member on the Finance & Legislative Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Personnel Matters.
In 2020, Sheriff Idleburg was appointed to ILETSB as a Board Member by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board is the state agency which is mandated to promote and maintain a high level of professional standards for law enforcement and correctional officers. The Board is responsible for establishing mandatory minimum thresholds which govern the hiring and training of law enforcement personnel. The Board currently has eight appointed members and six statutory members, and all play a crucial role in professionalizing Illinois law enforcement.
Sheriff Idleburg looks forward to continuing to ensure the community’s values and expectations are mirrored in the requirements of statewide law enforcement.
Sheriff Idleburg said, “The ILETSB Board and ILETSB staff continue to make significant progress in building out a much more robust organization. With many changes in the law, ILETSB is growing and will provide greater support and resources to law enforcement statewide. This will include greater funding to the state’s Mobile Training Units (MTUs), which provide direct training to law-enforcement officers across the state. It is a true honor representing Lake County at the statewide level.”
PADS Lake County
Located at 1800 Grand Ave. Waukegan, IL 60085 PADS Lake County is a community-based organization that provides trauma-informed support, resources, and shelter to individuals and families experiencing a housing crisis. In their 30+ years of operation, PADS has been supporting our local community by providing those in need with a short-term shelter as well as assistance securing long-term housing and resources, serving around 1,600 unhoused people per year with all of their services. Recently Sheriff Idleburg and members of our Community Engagement team were able to visit the PADS Lake County facility.
Deputy Executive Director, Eric Foote, gave our team a wonderful tour and explained the day-to-day operations. Foote explained to our team that PADS operates on a 2-season model, Shelter Season during the colder months (October-April) and Non-Shelter Season during the warmer months (May-September). Year-round, those in need are able to visit the PADS facility during normal business hours to receive services. During the Shelter Season, those in need of somewhere to lay their head at night arrive at the facility throughout the day. Doors close at 4:00 PM. Shortly thereafter, the guests are bussed to one of the numerous church facilities partnering with PADS. These partner churches are integral to PADS’ process as they bear the responsibility of opening their building, providing volunteers, serving warm meals, and so much more! On behalf of our entire leadership team, we would like to extend our most sincere gratitude and respect to the churches that currently partner with PADS and serve our community in this beautiful and necessary way!
Due to current capacity limits, on some nights PADS is unable to serve everyone who seeks shelter. Of this matter, our Community Engagement Specialist said, “PADS is doing an amazing job providing service, but some things are not solely in PADS control. They partner with churches and can provide overnight shelter based on the church's space and ability to provide volunteers to assist overnight…”. With the help of recent government funding, PADS is now also able to better serve unhoused persons by providing them with hotel rooms. These hotel rooms are provided on a case-by-case basis. During their Non-Shelter Season PADS does not provide overnight housing in churches but still offers hotel rooms. In addition to shelter options, PADS offers a variety of health and life-readiness services. 1800 Grand Ave. also serves as a mailing address for those currently without one.
Our goal with this monthly publication is to link community organizations with community partners for the betterment of all who call Lake County home! Our team left our PADS visit asking ‘How can we help?’ and you may be thinking the same. Data collected by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless shows that over 106,000 people experienced homelessness in Illinois in 2022. Combatting this statistic is no small feat but we believe that everyone doing their part can make a drastic change in the homelessness crisis! PADS has several ways that you can partner with their efforts:
Church Partnership - As we mentioned previously in the article, PADS cannot accommodate everyone in need of shelter. This is largely due to the lack of space at the churches currently partnered with PADS. PADS is chiefly in need of Lake County churches to join their efforts by hosting people in their facility overnight for one night per week during the Shelter Season. If you are a religious leader with a facility who like to hear more about how you can partner with PADS and with other churches, you can email Deputy Executive Director Eric Foote directly at efoote@padslakecounty.org
If you or someone you know is experiencing a housing crisis, or if you would like additional information about PADS, you can visit padslakecounty.org, email help@padslakecounty.org, or utilize one of the following phone numbers:
Find Shelter or At Risk of Homelessness: (847) 689-4357
Street Outreach: (847) 616-5557
General Information About Lake County Services: 211
January 2023 - Quarterly CJCC Meeting Recap
Our first quarterly meeting of 2023 was a terrific success! Over 40 community members, leaders, and partners were in attendance this month! Our panel of vital community voices shared their insight from their lived experience within the criminal justice system and community partners came to the table with suggested solutions. We were also able to share information on upcoming studies coming to our community. To review our full meeting minutes, please click here!
One of the main action items that were brought to the table during this meeting was the need for an easily accessible list of employers willing to hire and employ past offenders. We would like to take up the charge of making this list, but we need your help! Do you have the power to hire at, or know of, a Lake County business or organization that is willing to employ ex-incarcerated persons? Then we want to hear from you! Please provide the name and contact information of these businesses and organizations here. Our team will put together this list over the next several weeks and share it.
Registration is open for our next meeting that will be held on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023, from 6 PM to 8 PM. Click here to register and don’t forget to bring a friend!
Waukegan Fire Department Assists With New Fire Detectors
In 2017, the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance worked with the General Assembly to pass a law requiring Illinois residents to replace their old smoke alarms with a long-term, 10-year sealed battery beginning January 1, 2023. This would apply to residents still using alarms with removable batteries or alarms that are not hardwired. To learn more about what this means for you and your household, you can click here . Waukegan Fire crews recently went door to door in some neighborhoods assisting homeowners to install new smoke detectors. If you are a Waukegan homeowner and need a smoke detector or a replacement of one you currently have that is beyond its life expectancy, you can call the Waukegan Fire Department at 847-249-5410 to schedule a time for them to come assist you.
You can help inform and engage the community about this work by forwarding this newsletter to three friends and encouraging them to sign up here.
The Safety and Justice Challenge strategies at Lake County, IL are proudly led and supported by:
Lake County Sheriff's Office
Lake County State's Attorney Office
19th Judicial Circuit Court
Lake County Public Defender's Office
Nicasa Behavioral Health Services
This project was created with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as part of the Safety and Justice Challenge, which seeks to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.