Community Corner
Skokie Police Have No Residency Requirement
There are two main reasons--home affordability and not restricting the pool of job applicants. The issue came up when Officer Michael Hart was arrested last week.
Last week when Skokie police officer Michael Hart was arrested and charged with felony aggravated battery and official misconduct, some Patch readers expressed surprise that a statement from the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, which brought the charges, said Hart lived in Gurnee.
Earlier: Skokie Police Officer Arrested, Charged in Feuerstein Case
The Chicago Police Department requires police officers to live in the city. However, Morton Grove has no residency requirement, according to Police Chief Mark Erickson, and in Niles, Police Chief Dean Strzelecki said officers are permitted to live west to Route 47, east to Lake Michigan, north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border and south to Cermak Road.
Skokie Village Manager Al Rigoni said the thinking behind not requiring officers to live within a nearby area is that housing is often cheaper in outlying suburbs further from Chicago, giving officers more affordable home choices. A second reason is that when the village recruits for police officers or firefighters, having a residency requirement would reduce the pool of applicant, since prospective applicants may already have a home and not want to move.
Sign up to get local news and alert in a daily email from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
