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Crime & Safety

Darien Police Chief Reflects on Changes Made in First Year

Chief Ernest Brown said he utilizes past experience in Chicago to increase efficiency, effectiveness of Darien Police Department, including changing late-night and summer staffing.

Ernest Brown marked his first year as Darien’s Chief of Police last week. And in his initial 12 months in the position, Brown has brought some big-city thinking to small-town Darien.

Soon after the 28-year veteran of the police department for the City of Chicago took the reins as chief in Darien last November, he began working with his staff to evaluate the department’s resources in an effort to improve its overall efficiency.

After extracting data from the police department’s records, Brown saw a pattern beginning to emerge. He noticed that the peak times for call volume is usually between 3 p.m. and 2 a.m. But Darien officers’ shifts were typically spread out evenly over the course of the day.

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“Not to denigrate the officers’ self-generated activity–but on the public’s demand for police services, we found it was almost nonexistent between 2 and 6 a.m.,” Brown said. “Allocated resources are not needed between those hours. That’s when it really gets flat.”

And that’s precisely why Brown saw the need to implement a “power shift” strategy at the department.

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“We had the same number of officers on each of the three shifts,” Brown said. “That’s a poor use of resources. If you compare it to an emergency room in a big city, they staff heavier when they know it’s going to be busy–just as retail stores staff more heavily at Christmas time.”

Although department personnel may have greeted the resulting “power shift” with a degree of skepticism at first, Brown said officers have reacted fairly well to the changes–which include more than just an adjustment in the way each shift is staffed.

Because examination of Darien Police Department data showed a 23 percent increase in call volume over the summer months, police personnel’s summer vacations came under scrutiny, as well.

“We have a good bunch of officers–but when we were looking to do some reorganization, what has probably created the most angst is that we reduced the number of available vacation weeks by 45 percent during the busiest time of year.

“We have to recognize that we are not afforded many of the same luxuries as someone who works in another vocational area,” Brown said.

What about crime during the holidays?

During the holidays, when crime typically increases in big cities, Brown said that so far, Darien has experienced quite the opposite.

“Christmas Day is a fairly quiet day,” Brown said. “Here in Darien, we don’t experience the same type of thing [as bigger cities]. It’s a quiet town, a family town. It’s a lot quieter on the holiday.”

To keep it that way, Brown hopes to enlist the help of Darien residents.

He said because of Darien’s proximity to urban areas, the police department faces challenges due to the “migration of a criminal element from the inner city and other places.”

“That’s why we are making sure the department is properly configured–and that the information flow is sufficient to create a firm partnership with the public and officials,” Brown said. “It’s an ongoing issue, maintaining lines of communication.”

During the holiday season and throughout the year, the police chief asks Darien residents to help prevent crime by following a few simple rules.

“Lock your vehicles, be mindful of pedestrians and other drivers–and be safe and cautious during the holiday season,” he said.  And, of course–don’t drink and drive, he added.

“We are always vigilant about DUIs,” Brown said. “About 30 percent of our efforts are focused on traffic related issues.”

Read More from the Chief's First Year

Residents Raise Concerns Over Character of Police Chief Nominee

Brown Defends Police Record Amid Resident Concerns

City Council Approves Police Chief Appointment by 4-3 Vote

Incoming Police Chief Brown Honored for Work with Victims of Domestic Violence

Chief Ernest Brown Releases Summary of Workload Analysis

Chief Ernest Brown: May Statistics Support Reallocating Officers

Police Chief Details New Crime Prevention Strategies

Letter: Darien Police Chief Reflects on First Year

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