ComEd, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Award Public Safety Grants to 25 Northern Illinois Communities
Annual Powering Safe Communities Program supports community resiliency with $170,000 in funding for public safety initiatives
CHICAGO (Aug. 7, 2019) – To enhance public safety and quality of life in communities across northern Illinois, ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus today announced grants of up to $10,000 each to 25 public agencies through the ComEd Powering Safe Communities Program. From digital messaging and speed notification signage to cameras that help locate victims in danger, the projects address critical safety needs in the communities ComEd serves.
“The safety of the public and our employees is our highest priority,” said Melissa Washington, vice president of governmental and external affairs at ComEd. “That’s why we partner with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus each year through the ComEd Powering Safe Communities Program to promote a culture of safety and wellness in our communities. By providing local agencies with the resources required to help address public safety needs, we’re powering a brighter, more resilient future for the residents they serve.”
Since 2015, ComEd has supported critical safety needs of local municipalities through Powering Safe Communities, bringing essential public safety programs and services to people and populations throughout the energy company’s service territory.
For the past four grant cycles, ComEd has collaborated with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a council for Chicagoland’s chief elected officials, on public policy issues and to fund $670,000 worth of public safety projects throughout northern Illinois. Through this collaboration, ComEd provides the program funding, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus administers the grants to local communities, and grant recipients match ComEd’s contribution with their own funding of equal or greater value.
“For the past four years, we have been able to leverage over $1.8 million for 95 local public safety projects,” said Joseph Tamburino, Mayor of Hillside, Ill., and Chairman of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. “Our partnership with ComEd has put our shared public safety commitment into action and increased community resiliency. We are grateful for ComEd’s generosity.”
Earlier this year, public agencies from across communities that ComEd serves submitted grant applications, which were then reviewed by an advisory committee comprised of public safety, local government, and allied professionals.
Additional information on the ComEd Powering Safe Communities Program can be found at: https://mayorscaucus.org/initiatives/environment/psc/.
The 25 ComEd Powering Safe Communities Program grant recipients for 2019 are:
Amboy Fire Protection District: The grant will support the purchase of two thermal imaging cameras to help locate victims and firefighters trapped in a fire.
City of Berwyn: This grant will support the purchase of radar feedback signs to notify drivers of their speed in school zones. The signs can be programmed for various speeds and display times, as well as report on traffic volume, measured speeds, and the effectiveness of the signs in reducing speed.
Village of Bradley Police Department: The grant will support upgrades to the wireless network servicing the department’s patrol cars. The network is used to download critical security updates and firmware for the in-car hardware and computers, as well as upload recorded video from the patrol cars to document events.
City of Calumet City: This grant will support the purchase of a back-up generator for City Hall to enable visitors to use a lift to reach the second-floor safely in the event of power outages. The generator will help to provide sustainable access for all to the city’s administrative activities, services, traffic court, and more.
City of DeKalb Police Department: The grant will support the purchase and installation of an exterior, double-sided, LED community notification signboard to be mounted on top of the existing department sign on State Route 38, directly across from Northern Illinois University. It will allow the department to make appropriate community notifications about public safety events, such as crime alerts, notifications of missing children or endangered adults, weather events, natural disasters, roadway closures, and other incidents.
Village of Diamond: This grant will support the purchase of approximately 250 “Stop the Bleed” kits for use in Coal City Community School District Unit 1’s early learning, elementary, intermediate, and middle schools. The program is an initiative to prevent major blood loss during tragedy, and the kits will go into every classroom and highly-populated locations in the schools to ensure bystanders are able to provide immediate care to bleeding victims in the case of emergencies and disasters.
Village of Dolton: The grant will support the purchase of portable, programmable, and energy-efficient speed display signs for multiple locations throughout the village, as well as portable traffic-calming devices to enhance safety in school zones and residential locations. The signs will be used in conjunction with bright LED blinkers to increase motorists’ awareness of their speed in these critical areas.
Village of Fox River Grove: This grant will assist in the purchase of four new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the village’s squad cars. This technology will improve the police department’s ability to respond to cardiac arrests while in the field.
Village of Hazel Crest: The grant will help replace the police department’s outdated radios through the purchase of four public-safety, all-weather radios. The purchase will assist the department in reaching its goal of outfitting its first responders with 40 radios.
City of Joliet: This grant will support the purchase of a back-up generator to power the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) at Fire Station #1 in the event of outages. The station’s current generator does not have capacity to power the EOC.
Village of La Grange Park: The grant will support the replacement of old and non-functioning automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that are used in both police and fire department vehicles. The equipment is essential to first responders, as cardiovascular disease accounts for nearly one out of every three deaths per year in the United States.
Village of Lake Bluff: This grant will support the purchase of a new portable speed advisory sign to enhance the village’s neighborhood traffic-calming program. The sign will warn drivers when they exceed the speed limit and will log traffic data for future traffic-calming decisions, including increased enforcement or engineering changes.
Village of Lake Zurich Fire Department: The grant will support the purchase of a golf cart that can be used to provide EMS services at large events and to more than 800 acres of Lake County Forest Preserve land in Lake Zurich. The golf cart will improve the department’s response time to patients who may be difficult to access.
Village of Lansing: This grant will support the purchase of pole-mounted radar signs equipped with data loggers and cordless handheld radar units. The radar units, which will be used in school zones and other high-traffic and accident-prone areas, can provide instant feedback to drivers and collect data regarding traffic volume and vehicle speeds. The project will last one year, during which traffic data will be analyzed to determine optimal time and location for traffic enforcement.
Lombard Police Department: The grant will support the purchase of a new electronic fingerprinting system, also known as LIVESCAN, to enhance the department’s technological capabilities.
Village of Mokena Police Department: This grant will support the replacement of nine-year-old, near-obsolete, refurbished laptop computers with updated technology for use in patrol cars. Seven laptops are needed to complete transition of the entire fleet to a current technology, and the grant funding will help offset the purchase cost. The new technology will assist officers in conducting investigations and research, as well as completing reports, without leaving their patrol beats.
Morrison Police Department: The grant will support the purchase and installation of a trailer that displays speed and messaging during planned public events and community emergencies. The trailer allows for speed monitoring, data collection, speed awareness, speed enforcement, traffic control, and one-way communication for road hazards, enforcement campaigns, special events, and other emergency responses.
Niles Police Department: This grant will support the purchase of pole-mounted automated License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology, which scans the license plates of moving or parked vehicles. Once a plate is scanned and its alphanumeric pattern is read by the LPR system, the technology will compare the license plate against an existing database of plates that are of interest to law enforcement.
Village of Northbrook Police Department: The grant will support the replacement of an outdated speed monitor trailer that has been in use since 2001. The department will upgrade to a message board that will increase its ability to collect and monitor traffic data.
Village of Palos Park: This grant will support the purchase of a mini-matrix message board trailer that will improve the village’s ability to display messages, organize traffic patterns, and assist in general road safety.
Village of Plainfield Police Department: The grant will support the purchase of a variable message board that is easily transportable and will be used to give immediate updates and directives to improve safety within the community. The message board provides digital signage and will be shared with the department of public works, fire protection district, and park district.
Village of Spring Grove Police Department: This grant will support the purchase of solar-powered speed signs and solar-powered flashing stop signs for installation throughout the village. These items will assist in limiting traffic violations and making village roads safer for commuters and residents.
Streamwood Police Department: The grant will help fund the Streamwood Search and Rescue Program, which will assist in the procurement of an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone), equipped with a thermal imaging camera and a high-resolution zooming camera. This technology will assist the police department in the quick and safe rescue of those that go missing with endangering or life-threatening risk factors.
Village of University Park: This grant will support the purchase of a stand-by generator for the village’s Fire Station 1. The generator will allow the fire department to continue safety services and protection for residents and business owners during power outages, including those caused by natural disasters.
Village of Villa Park: The grant will support the purchase of six flashing LED stop signs and a radar speed display to be installed at intersections that experience high volumes of traffic, including those next to schools.
###
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), a Fortune 100 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
