The Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday, August 22, 2024 that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and City of Waukegan Police Department have entered into a service-sharing agreement that will increase safety and decrease costs.
The Waukegan Police Department is joining the Lake County Sheriff’s Tactical Response Team (TRT). This partnership will unify the specialized resources, expertise, and personnel of both agencies into a single, highly capable unit, ensuring an effective response to critical incidents for the over 220,000 residents both agencies serve, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
By combining the strengths of the two agencies, the team will have access to a broader range of specialized skills, equipment, and personnel. This will allow the team to respond quickly and effectively to some of the most complex situations, including hostage situations and high-risk warrant operations.
Joint training programs and shared resources will contribute to long-term cost savings for Lake County taxpayers, and result in a unified approach to highly technical tactical operations.
The team will continue training monthly, and collectively hundreds of hours a year, beyond the standard training required of police officers. The team will be activated for high-risk situations that need specialized staff and equipment to de-escalate and save lives. The team will also be activated for high-profile events to ensure the safety of the public. Being a team based in Lake County, only responding to incidents in Lake County, the deployment time will be less than that of similar TRT/SWAT teams.
Sheriff John D. Idleburg said, “A quick response from highly trained personnel is essential during high-risk situations such as hostage situations or armed barricaded person calls. This collaboration will not only ensure we are keeping our community safe, but it will foster a deeper partnership between our two agencies.”
Waukegan Chief of Police Edgar Navarro added, “Operational efficiency has always been a priority. Collaborating with the Lake County Sheriff gives us the opportunity to do more. Enhancing our efforts provides additional resources that benefits the safety of our residents.”
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