Police Foundation – Pekin Police Department

Pekin Police Foundation

The Pekin Police Foundation assists, encourages and supports the Pekin Police Department with funding in two main areas:

Our Mission:

“Provide resources and programs that help the Pekin Police Department perform at their highest level of service and support and enhance our community.”

What has the Foundation done to help the Police Department?

Speed Spy

Police Command was looking for a way to improve how officers are allocated to monitor speed complaints. Speed Spy is a piece of equipment that is mounted on a light pole to record the date, time ad speed of vehicles passing through a neighborhood. Once the Speed Spy has gathered information on traffic patterns in an area, the police can analyze the data and better determine where and at what times of the day to have a squad car run radar on a problem street.

Generator Set

The Pekin Lions Club donated $2,200 through the Foundation to purchase a portable generator and telescoping halogen lights. It is the only portable generator available to the department for nighttime crime scenes and tactical deployments of the Central Illinois Emergency Response Team.

Radar Trailer

Pekin Insurance and the Community Foundation of Central Illinois provided funds so that the Foundation could buy a trailer that alerts drivers to their speed. Over the past several years, the trailer has been placed more than 400 times. This trailer has proven to be an effective tool for the police department and welcomed by citizens who have voiced concerns about traffic in their neighborhoods.

Officer McGruff

Citizen donations and grants from CEFCU and Aventine Renewal Energy to the Foundation enabled us to buy the iconic McGruff costume. It is used in community education programs and crime prevention activities.

Stop Stick

How do police officers stop a high-speed chase before it jeopardizes safety or causes property damage? They contain the chase by using STOPSTICK, a device that safely deflates the tires of a speeding vehicle. The Foundation purchased four sets for deployment throughout Pekin.

Motor Unit

When weather allows, officers will use our new traffic control bikes daily to control traffic congested areas and respond to accidents, freeing officers in patrol cars for more pressing duties.

Leases of the 2015 motorcycles, at $3,200 each per year, and the $4,000 in special equipment the department purchased for each of the vehicles were covered by $19,000 in donations from the Pekin Police Foundation.

RBT IV

The Foundation purchased this completely portable breathalyzer for the Department in 2008. This system generates instant printouts of test results as each test is completed. The RBT printer also stores hundreds of test results in an internal memory, which can be downloaded to a computer. An officer can administer the test immediately. Now officers do not have to wait until they are transported to the police station before testing. The result: better evidence – drunk drivers off the streets sooner.

Why donate to the Pekin Police Foundation?

Public safety cannot rest on the shoulders of law enforcement agencies alone. In as much as police support the safety of our communities, they need our support as well. By supporting the Pekin Police Foundation, you are supporting the Pekin Police Department and the community. Every donation goes toward the development of better policing tools and practices, and ultimately, a better, safer community for Pekin residents and visitors. Please consider joining our important work by contributing monetarily to the Foundation.

All donations to the Pekin Police Foundation are tax-deductible under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Donations payable to “Pekin Police Foundation.”
Mail to:
Pekin Police Department
Attn: Police Foundation
111 S. Capitol
Pekin, IL 61554