Ninety-five members from the Huntley community, many from Sun City, belong to the Huntley Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA).
President of HCPAAA, Pamela Cortez, said, “Our role is to create a safer community through enhanced communication and partnerships between the citizens and the police through education. All our members are required to take the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Citizen’s Police Academy course offered by the Huntley Police Department.”
CPA is a ten-week program consisting of classes held once a week. The series of classes is held once a year, and enrollment is free.
Robert Heiberger, a Sun City resident, is a CPA graduate and a member of HCPAA.
Heiberger shared, “Each session is a unique opportunity to understand our Huntley Police Department better. We have different speakers who provide an insightful overview of various areas of law enforcement. In the first class, we even got a tour of the police station, including the prison cells.”
The sessions cover a variety of topics presented by different speakers.
“There is traffic training,” Heiberger said. “We learn about the roles of our officers in the schools and the process, and we gain an appreciation of their roles in the community.”
Cortez said, “[Heiberger] is one of our best recruiters for the CPA program. The program aims to improve communication between the community and the police. Officer Keppler from the Huntley Police Department runs the CPA program.”
The members of the HCPAAA play a crucial role in community events.
Cortez highlighted, “We assist in about thirty community events, including concerts, parades, Bike Huntley, and various 5K runs/walks and other events. Our active participation is our commitment to the community. ”
Heiberger said, “We are briefed before each event. We are equipped with safety vests, radios, and traffic wands. We have an Emergency Management Plan for every Huntley event. Pat Ullrich, Emergency Responses and Preparedness Manager for the police department, provides these plans. He retired as the Village of Bartlett Chief of Police.”
One of the highlighted events is the Law Enforcement Torch Run. It is the single largest year-round fundraising event benefiting Special Olympics Illinois.
Cortez said, “We also have the Cop on Top, an event hosted by the Huntley Police Department to raise awareness and money for Special Olympics Illinois. The event occurs at both Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Huntley and includes a donut-eating contest.”
The alumni host an annual picnic and meet monthly, featuring exciting speakers.
Heiberger said, “We had a female air marshal, which was very interesting. We also work closely with the Fire Department.”
The organization continues to expand.
Cortez said, “We also have adopted a mile of Huntley Road, Sass Parkway from Main Street to the bridge.”
The alumni ask for cooperation.
Cortez said, “We are out there to make traffic flow smooth. Please cooperate with us. We also recommend that residents download the Everbridge emergency notification system. It alerts the community about emergencies and other important news.”
You can sign up for free to receive notifications about severe weather, missing people, road closures, public safety threats, and police activity. To sign up for Everbridge, users can go to loom.ly/HkCKQnk, create an account, and enter contact and location information.
