Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Talk Line: Dixon Police Deputy Chief Chris Scott shares department events & updates

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Talk Line: Dixon Police Deputy Chief Chris Scott shares department events & updates · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Good morning, Souk Valley. You joined the Waking crew here
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: on FM ninety five to one and A fourteen sixty WIXN.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: It's eight fifteen on your Wednesday morning, and you know
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  Speaker 1: what that means. It's time for talk line and I'm
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  Speaker 1: joined in the booth for the first time by Deputy
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  Speaker 1: Chief Chris Scott with the Dixon Police Department.
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  Speaker 3: Sir, how are you good? How are you?
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  Speaker 1: I'm very well, very happy to have you here, happy
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  Speaker 1: for what you do for the community. So we thank you.
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  Speaker 1: And I always love getting the updates. And I know
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  Speaker 1: everybody thinks, you know, police and cops, and they think, well,
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  Speaker 1: all you guys probably do is you know, patrolling around
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  Speaker 1: and those related kind of things. But you guys, actually
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  Speaker 1: there's so much more going on behind the scenes. You're
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  Speaker 1: such part of the community and that's where I'm excited
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  Speaker 1: for this time of the year. Everybody's getting outside. There's events,
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  Speaker 1: and you guys are a part of them.
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  Speaker 3: We are.
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  Speaker 2: We are excited that we partnered with Dixon Main Street
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  Speaker 2: this year. It's previous the other years, but this more
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  Speaker 2: so this year. We've met with them to get kind
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  Speaker 2: of an itemized list of all the events that we
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  Speaker 2: can be a part of to assist with, starting with
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  Speaker 2: the Bentele Music Fest, which is coming up in the
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  Speaker 2: next week and a half, and then we've got Petunia Fests,
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  Speaker 2: We've got city markets, so there's there's plenty of opportunity
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  Speaker 2: that you'll see us out and about at all the
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  Speaker 2: mainstream events.
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  Speaker 1: No, love it love the Dementown Music Fest, looking forward
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  Speaker 1: to that.
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  Speaker 3: You alive music fan? I am? You are? I am?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. My favorite concert I would say was Tool. It
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: was about two years ago in Wisconsin. You got a favorite.
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  Speaker 2: Man, probably Zach Brownband. I saw them back in twenty twenty,
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  Speaker 2: right before COVID and that was probably one of the
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  Speaker 2: best concerts I've ever been to.
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  Speaker 3: That's awesome, very good life.
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  Speaker 2: I would recommend anybody go to them.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I've always said that it's one of the few
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  Speaker 1: things I don't mind spending money on because it's an
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  Speaker 1: experience you never forget.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: So anyways, though, that's just just one what else you
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  Speaker 1: guys got going on.
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  Speaker 2: So some other community events that we're going to be
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  Speaker 2: partnering with this year is with park district events or
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  Speaker 2: our school resource officers. Typically in the past, they've take
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  Speaker 2: most of their time off during the summer just because
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  Speaker 2: they're not. Historically, they're not allowed to do it throughout
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  Speaker 2: the year because we want them in the school unless
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  Speaker 2: something major comes up. So this year what we did
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  Speaker 2: is usually they've came out as a PowerShift car like
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  Speaker 2: a two to two or three to three. We decided
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  Speaker 2: to not mess with their schedules too much this year
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  Speaker 2: for their family life, but also take the opportunity to
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  Speaker 2: be present at our events with Park District and any
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  Speaker 2: other community events we have during the day. So this
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  Speaker 2: year they're going to stay working during the day. You'll
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  Speaker 2: see them outIn about maybe run into some kids here
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  Speaker 2: and there they know, but also be at like our
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  Speaker 2: spark camp with the Park District. I know, we've got
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  Speaker 2: some dates set for them, but then also take some
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  Speaker 2: time to for some crew development and have some extra
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  Speaker 2: trainings that they can attend throughout the summer before they
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  Speaker 2: go back to school in August.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's very interesting. We were talking off off air
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  Speaker 1: before the show began folks about the fact that it
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  Speaker 1: hadn't dawned on me to you had told me what
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  Speaker 1: you were going to share today, that I've never thought
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  Speaker 1: about what you know, these officers do when the when
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  Speaker 1: the school year isn't in and you know, you assume
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  Speaker 1: you do go back to patrol, but that it's very different,
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  Speaker 1: that the hours are different, and that very much almost
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  Speaker 1: turns you into a well almost and I wouldn't say
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  Speaker 1: swing shift, but it's definitely something of the like.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, it's definitely an adjustment for them to you know,
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  Speaker 2: they're working during the school day and it kind of
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  Speaker 2: business hours, but then to turn around and go to
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  Speaker 2: night shift for the summer, it's it's hard on the body.
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  Speaker 2: And we feel that they can have a better opportunity
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  Speaker 2: being visible in the community, being visible to the kids
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  Speaker 2: that they see on an everyday basis, and connect with
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  Speaker 2: them throughout the summer and keep that open line of
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  Speaker 2: communication with them, see how they're doing that, and then
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  Speaker 2: when they see the officer, they see that friendly face,
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  Speaker 2: the familiar face that they see in the school every day.
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  Speaker 2: But then take that opportunity to be at a park
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  Speaker 2: district event such as Spark Camp, which is just a
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  Speaker 2: massive event for youth, and give them an opportunity to
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  Speaker 2: have our tent set up and maybe run a game
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  Speaker 2: or discuss some bullying and whatnot.
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  Speaker 3: Whatever.
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  Speaker 2: The park district hasn't planned for them. I think it's
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  Speaker 2: going to be a great opportunity for them, and we'll
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  Speaker 2: see how it goes this year, and hopefully you continue
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  Speaker 2: with that down the road.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I personally love it.
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  Speaker 1: I love the community policing model and how well Dixon
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  Speaker 1: has just taken that and ran with it and become
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  Speaker 1: so ingratiated with the community. You know, more past just
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  Speaker 1: protecting and serving, it's really being there and knowing that
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  Speaker 1: you guys are part of that, like getting getting to
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  Speaker 1: know you. So I always like that you speaking of
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  Speaker 1: getting to know you, there's going to be some new
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  Speaker 1: kids on the block.
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  Speaker 3: There is.
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  Speaker 2: We've got, well, we have a handful this year because
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  Speaker 2: we've had a number of retirements in the last I
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  Speaker 2: would say twelve to eighteen months, maybe beyond that. But
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  Speaker 2: we've got two officers that just graduate the academy back
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  Speaker 2: in April, and we've got one at the academy now.
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  Speaker 2: So the Police Academy, and I don't want to steal
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  Speaker 2: their thunder from if they ever come in and speak
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  Speaker 2: to you.
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  Speaker 3: It's Police Academy six one hundred.
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  Speaker 2: And forty hours over the course of sixteen weeks, and
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  Speaker 2: we attend the Socck Valley Police Academy out here at
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  Speaker 2: Socck Valley College and after the sixteen weeks, they come
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  Speaker 2: back and they go through a pretty grueling field training
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  Speaker 2: process to where they're with three different training officers and
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  Speaker 2: that's about fifteen weeks long just getting to know I
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  Speaker 2: guess the academy really teaches you how to think like
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  Speaker 2: a cop, but when it comes to field training, we
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  Speaker 2: really teach you how to be a cop and get
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  Speaker 2: that experience on the road and really, day one boots
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  Speaker 2: hit the ground, you hit the ground running. So those
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  Speaker 2: two officers that are in field training, they started the
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  Speaker 2: week after they graduated, so there's set to finish up
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  Speaker 2: here about the first week of August, and that last
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  Speaker 2: week of field training, they're completely on their own. Their
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  Speaker 2: field training officers no help to them, and it's we
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  Speaker 2: kind of call it a shadow phase or a patrol
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  Speaker 2: check phase is I guess the better word for it
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  Speaker 2: for us. And it gives that opportunity to the new
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  Speaker 2: officer that their field training officer while they're there for
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  Speaker 2: any safety issues, they have to file the chain of
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  Speaker 2: command if they have any questions or any issues as
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  Speaker 2: if that field training officer is not there. So it's
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  Speaker 2: pretty stressful. We put them to the test, and each
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  Speaker 2: phase is there's like I said, there's three phases outside
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  Speaker 2: that patrol check phase, and each phase is set some
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  Speaker 2: core competencies that are different for each phase that they're
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  Speaker 2: tested on to really make sure that by the end
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  Speaker 2: of that fifteen weeks they're ready to go. So they'll
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  Speaker 2: be done about the first week of August, and then
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  Speaker 2: our other officer, Officer Latino, that is out of the
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  Speaker 2: academy now, I believe he's set to graduate sometime mid
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  Speaker 2: August and then he'll start his training after that and
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  Speaker 2: probably through the end of November.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, I love hearing that because I used
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  Speaker 1: to talk to so many departments during my time as
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  Speaker 1: a journalist where staffing was, you know, definitely an issue.
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  Speaker 1: So to hear, you know, having new blood coming into department,
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  Speaker 1: that's great. I could never say anything good enough about
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  Speaker 1: Sout Valley Community Colleges Police Academy. It's fantastic they're what
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  Speaker 1: they're doing out there, So I'm glad to just it's
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  Speaker 1: keeping cops local, recruiting them local, and just really filled
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  Speaker 1: kind of that that gap in between where people had
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  Speaker 1: to go if they wanted to be an officer and
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  Speaker 1: keeping them closer to home during that time.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and.
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  Speaker 2: Now President Mandrel he was a big part of putting
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  Speaker 2: that together out there, and then Director La Mandola, he
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  Speaker 2: was obviously a sergeant with us when he retired and
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  Speaker 2: went out there became the director, and so we kind
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  Speaker 2: of have an end to the academy as far as
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  Speaker 2: a connection to understanding.
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  Speaker 3: Who they're getting for recruits.
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  Speaker 2: But then there's a handful of us that are also
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  Speaker 2: instructors out there on part time, and we really get
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  Speaker 2: to know these young guys coming in, young men and women,
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  Speaker 2: and kind of get a good feel for them before
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  Speaker 2: they come back to our department. So they've they've got
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  Speaker 2: a great operation going and we're very happy.
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  Speaker 3: To keep them local.
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  Speaker 2: They know, back when a number of us used to
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  Speaker 2: do it, we went down to Champagne. You're three hours
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  Speaker 2: away and away from home for the whole week, and
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  Speaker 2: this way being local, these guys can, if they have
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  Speaker 2: a family, can go home at night. Yeah, they still
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  Speaker 2: have to be back for curfew just by academy rules,
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  Speaker 2: but they can at least go home and see their
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  Speaker 2: family and night and on the weekends, they don't have
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  Speaker 2: worry about driving anywhere. So it's nice that we have
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  Speaker 2: something local and we're very happy to partner with them
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  Speaker 2: as well for sending over recruits to the academy.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Jason and John have done a fantastic job with
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  Speaker 1: it and it's only going to get better out there.
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  Speaker 1: So you know, while we've got time, we're doing great here,
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  Speaker 1: which I'm happy to say. So let's you guys have
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  Speaker 1: a lot of charitable events that you're part of, and
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  Speaker 1: I think we really need a little bit more attention
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  Speaker 1: on this.
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  Speaker 2: So Yeah, our Dixon Police Charitable Association is solely funded
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  Speaker 2: by community donations. And what that does is that charitable
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  Speaker 2: associations Association gives back to youth their families in our
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  Speaker 2: Dixon community and we have a number of events. Our
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  Speaker 2: next one would be in August, which is closed for kids,
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  Speaker 2: where we take kids in need of clothing for this
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  Speaker 2: upcoming school year. We usually do about twenty five that's
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  Speaker 2: the goal, twenty five kids for that event. Each child
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  Speaker 2: has given a set amount of money and we take
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  Speaker 2: them shopping. It's kind of like the fall shop of
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  Speaker 2: the cop in a way. It's solely for clothing to
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  Speaker 2: get clothes on their back. Or code or whatnot, and
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  Speaker 2: backpacks and school supplies. Obviously the schools take the care
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: of that with tools for schools. But then also in
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  Speaker 2: the fall, we have a Cops and Bobbers event which
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  Speaker 2: is growing every year and Detective Dempsey does a great
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  Speaker 2: job running that program.
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  Speaker 3: We touch.
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  Speaker 2: Have a lot of connection with a lot of local
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  Speaker 2: youth at that event. And then in the winter we
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  Speaker 2: have our Shop of the Cop which is our biggest event.
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  Speaker 2: Last year we had about fifty to fifty five kids.
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  Speaker 2: That don't have a hard number for that, but in
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  Speaker 2: the previous years, I think we've scratched surface of sixty
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  Speaker 2: kids for that event, so it's our biggest one. And
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  Speaker 2: then each family that's selected for a Shop of the
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  Speaker 2: Cop also gets a Thanksgiving basket that we give them
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  Speaker 2: a Thanksgiving meal, So we usually have our family selected
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  Speaker 2: by them, and we partner with Good Fellows of Lee
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  Speaker 2: County for that. They help us out with family selection process,
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  Speaker 2: so we're happy to partner with them. They're a very
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  Speaker 2: valuable asset to that. But then also in the spring,
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  Speaker 2: we have our Charitable Association Scholarship, which we will be
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  Speaker 2: announcing our recipient this week, and we've up that to
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  Speaker 2: fifteen hundred dollars and that goes to a student that
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: is majoring or minoring and criminal justice with the hopes
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  Speaker 2: of maybe it's quasi using as a recruiting tool to
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: get them to come back locally if they get into
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: criminal justice and come back and work for us. We
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: now have two of those recipients from the pastor now
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  Speaker 2: officers with us, so I would say it's working. But
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  Speaker 2: then a number of other events that we sponsor as
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: far as any local charity, golf events, we have local
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: youth baseball team, soccer teams, We have just a number
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  Speaker 2: of things that we help sponsor that all those donations
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  Speaker 2: that come to us go right back into the community.
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  Speaker 3: See, that's fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: Where you and I were talking off air again about
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: how I appreciate the community policing model and how Dixon's
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: just ran with that, and if you're not familiar with it,
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: we don't have time for me to go into it
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: look it up. But I'm telling you we're lucky that
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  Speaker 1: it is such a prevalent thing here in Dixon with
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  Speaker 1: our police department.
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  Speaker 3: It's fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: I mean law enforcement and serv and protect is by
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: and far won't argue the most important function of your job,
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  Speaker 1: but the fact that you all can go so far
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  Speaker 1: beyond that, that's fantastic.
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  Speaker 2: And Chief Bivens has really done a great job of
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  Speaker 2: implementing that. Obviously the protect and serve, but really the
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  Speaker 2: mission of the department is serving beyond the badge, and
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  Speaker 2: he's I think we're really doing a great job of
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  Speaker 2: hating at home and it's trickled down through the department
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: through all our officers, and we make sure our new
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: guys that come in show an emphasis on serving beyond
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  Speaker 2: the badge and going beyond just going on and policing
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  Speaker 2: and making connection with the community and the youth. And
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: we have more things to come in the future that
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: we're going to be looking to launch for programs, but
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  Speaker 2: we don't have time to touch on all that. So
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  Speaker 2: it's exciting. We have a great future ahead of us
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  Speaker 2: for our department and it should be great things to
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: come for our community.
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  Speaker 1: I love I love hearing it just great things. I
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: really appreciate it. And you know, while we do have
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: a few minutes, I know we touched through everything, so
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: I'm glad we do have a few minutes because since
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: it's your first time in here, man. I always want
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: to know, this is why I became a reporter Before
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: I was this, I'm just nosy. How'd you get in
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: law enforcement?
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: Man?
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: What was it that led you here? Family thing or
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: a personal itch?
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: Well, I guess I go back.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: So growing up, my dad worked at the steel mill
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: over in Sterling until they closed down, and he got
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: into He became a paramedic for CGH and worked there
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: for thirty years, just recently retired, so kind of had
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: an outlook on first responders and started exploring different avenues
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: to go down. I got involved with the Sterling Police
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: Explorers when I was a sophomore in high school, which
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: we have an Explorer group at Dixon p D as well,
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: And if you have some youth that are interested there
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: in high school, I'd strongly encourage you to get involved
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: in that. Absolutely, it is a great program that we have.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: But I got involved with the Police Explorers and then
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: that just kind of took off from there. I had
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: some great mentors at Sterling PD and went into criminal
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: justice over at Whiteside Career Center, which is a great
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: opportunity where Sergeant Wilfley has retired. He's over there teaching
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: that now, but I had Chris Tennison was my teacher
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: at that time for the two years and he's now
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: the regional superintendent, I believe. But he became a mentor
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: of mine and I got an internship with Freeport Police
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: Department when I was a senior in high school. But
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: it was all through the connection with sock Falley College,
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: so I was getting college credit for it and really
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: just opened my eyes to policing and it kind of
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: just hit the ground running from there. I attended sock
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: Falley College. I got my degree there, my socialist degree,
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: and the second I turned twenty I could start applying.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: I just started applying and at twenty one, actually I
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: went to the academy at twenty very young, turned twenty
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: one in the academy and all the rest is history.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: My man, you are a sock Valley homegrown success story.
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  Speaker 3: That is awesome. Yeah. I had a lot of great opportunity.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: There's been a lot of great people in my life
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: that coach me mentioned me and I owe a lot
• 14:42
  Speaker 2: to them for putting me on the right path. So
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: it's now hopefully that you know, I talked about the
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: trickle down effect that we can do that for others
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: than the youth and see that work and kind of
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: turn it around that now I have the opportunity to
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: do that for somebody else. So it's I've been very
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: blessed in my life with the opportunities that I've had
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: and the people I've had around me.
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, and and and kudos to those people,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: and thank you for them for being an example of
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: how to set someone uh, give them the right options
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: and resources and support and and just let them blossom
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: in that. Because that's awesome, man. I mean for that
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: young to like have that track go there and just
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: knock it out of the park.
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: Uh, that's fantastic. I mean if.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: Anyone had to write a brochure, because I didn't know
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: about all these different things sadly until I became a reporter,
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: and that was you know, I mean middle age. Uh
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: and and I've grown up in around this area. Uh,
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: you like would hit a brochure of every check mark
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: for how you should suggest your kid like take.
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: Advantage of growing up in this area. Uh.
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: That's that's just cool, man. Thank you, thank you for
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: thank you for sharing that I had. Uh that's awesome.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: I always love when I get time to do that
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: so we are out of time. Makes me just want
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: to talk more, but another time you got.
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: To come back in.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: Chris, thank you so much for not only sharing all
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: the information, but for the fine where you and everyone
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: at the department does.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: We truly appreciate it. Thank you.