Lake County Sheriff’s Office, City of Waukegan to share tactical response team

WAUKEGAN – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and 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. The 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 more than 220,000 residents that both agencies serve, according to a news release.

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 – which is 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 also will be activated for high-profile events to ensure the safety of the public. Being a team based in Lake County and responding only to incidents in Lake County, the deployment time will be less than that of similar TRT/SWAT teams.

“A quick response from highly trained personnel is essential during high-risk situations such as hostage situations or armed barricaded person calls,” Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said in the release. “This collaboration will not only ensure we are keeping our community safe, but it will foster a deeper partnership between our two agencies.”

“Operational efficiency has always been a priority,” Waukegan Police Chief Edgar Navarro said in the release. “Collaborating with the Lake County Sheriff gives us the opportunity to do more. Enhancing our efforts provides additional resources that benefit the safety of our residents.”