Law Enforcement Accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), was formed in 1979 to establish a body of standards designed to:
- Increase Law enforcement agency capabilities to prevent and control crime.
- Increase agency effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of law enforcement services.
- Increase cooperation and coordination with other law enforcement agencies and with other agencies of the criminal justice system.
- Increase citizen and employee confidence in the goals, objectives, policies, and practices of the agency.
In addition, the Commission was formed to develop an accreditation process that provides law enforcement agencies an opportunity to demonstrate voluntarily that they meet an established set of professional standards. The Commission began accrediting police agencies in 1986.
The Lake Zurich Police Department was first accredited in 2006. The Department was reaccredited by the Commission in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2020 and 2024 demonstrating continued compliance with the Standards.
Accreditation Public Comment Portal
Comments, commendations, and other information regarding the agency's quality of service or other information relevant to the accreditation process can be submitted here. Please note that any information submitted is sent directly to CALEA and is not received by the agency.
CALEA Reports and Analysis
Vehicle Pursuits
The pursuit of a suspect fleeing in a motor vehicle presents a danger to the safety of the pursuing peace officers, the suspect, other motorists, and bystanders in the vicinity of the pursuit. The decision to initiate or continue a pursuit requires the discretion of the involved peace officers while weighing numerous factors under varying conditions.
Officers were involved in 15 incidents requiring the completion of the Pursuit Situation After-Action Report in 2025. By comparison, officers were involved in 25 incidents in 2024, 12 incidents in 2023, 7 incidents in 2022, 13 incidents in 2021, and 9 incidents in 2020. Of the 15 pursuits initiated, only three acquiesced to the stop; all three drivers were subsequently arrested and charged with DUI. Twelve of the 15 pursuit incidents ended with no arrest nor officer contact. Ten of the 15 pursuits involved motorcycles. Zero of the pursued vehicles were subsequently involved in a crash. Four of the 15 incidents were pursuant to calls for service: reckless driving, retail theft. Eleven of the 15 pursuit incidents were initiated for minor traffic violations. All pursuits in 2025 were terminated by either offender apprehension or the initiating officer’s discretion; no pursuits were ordered terminated by a supervisor.
Lake Zurich police officers conducted 4,430 traffic stops in 2025. Pursuit incidents resulted in less than 0.34% of vehicles stopped.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) completes an Annual Analysis of Police Pursuit Reporting for Illinois police agencies. The ILETSB 2023 document relays trends, pursuit termination reasons, driver demographics and other data. The attached 2023 document cites a 14.17% overall decrease in Illinois pursuits from 2023 to 2024. The report notes 16.2% of pursuits statewide in 2024 ended in a crash. The document further notes most pursuits occur between 7pm and 4am. The data in the ILETSB report establishes that pursuits are down statewide and generally occur in evening/overnight hours. Further data in the report suggests Lake Zurich Police are significantly less likely to be involved in a crash or other significant event related to the pursuit than the state average.
Analysis of Grievances
The Lake Zurich Police Department maintains a grievance procedure designed to resolve matters between employees and the employer fairly and expeditiously. A grievance is any complaint concerning working conditions, classification, salary, or other work-related matters.
An annual analysis of grievances is required to determine if a trend is observed and what steps may be taken to minimize the causes of such grievances in the future. There was one grievances filed on behalf of Lake Zurich Police Department employees during 2025.
Bias Based Policing
The 2024 Illinois Traffic Stop Study Part II completed by The Mountain-Whisper-Light, Inc. for the Illinois Department of Transportation provides an analysis to detect racial profiling by comparing the number of stops by each agency of each racial group and comparing it to a benchmark population for the racial group. The spreadsheets indicate that stops performed by Lake Zurich police officers are within the benchmarks established by the study. No complaints in 2025.
Internal Investigations
The Lake Zurich Police Department follows an internal affairs policy to ensure prompt and thorough investigation of alleged transgressions and, if needed, take appropriate disciplinary action. During 2025, there were no incidents which required internal investigations. Incidents may be initiated by either an external or internal complaint. During 2025, there were three citizen complaints made against Lake Zurich police officers.
Investigation Yearly Summary
- Sustained: Allegation is supported by sufficient evidence
- Partially Sustained: Sufficient evidence exists to support part of the allegations made in the complaint
- Not Sustained: Insufficient evidence exists to prove or disprove the allegations
- Exonerated: Incident did occur, but the actions taken were lawful and proper
- Unfounded: Allegation is not factual.
- Sustained Other: Sustaining of violation or misconduct other than the allegations of the original complaint
Use-of-Force Analysis
Members of the Lake Zurich Police Department strive to accomplish the mission of the agency as efficiently as possible with the highest regard for the human dignity of all persons and with minimal reliance upon the use of physical force. The use of physical or deadly force should be restricted to circumstances authorized by law and only to accomplish lawful objectives. All sworn members of the Department are required to review the use-of-force policy annually. The policy is also reviewed during various training sessions throughout the year.
During 2025, nine police incidents required use-of-force after-action reporting. Each incident was reviewed and determined to be within department policy and procedure. Compared to the previous year, the number of use-of-force incidents increased from four to nine. Four of the nine incidents involved arrestees being charged with resisting a peace officer. Five incidents involved subjects under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled substances. Mental health concerns were a factor in six of the nine events. Overall, less than 2% of all Lake Zurich custodial arrests in 2025 required a use-of-force after-action report.
Department Meets Executive Order on Safe Policing
The Lake Zurich Police Department has received the Federal Use of Force Certification through the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. The certification is part of the Safe Policing for Safe Communities Executive Order enacted in June 2020. Specific policies of the department that were reviewed include use of reasonable and deadly force, de-escalation and crisis intervention, rendering of medical aid, restrictions on vascular restraints and choke holds, weapon proficiency training and the reporting/review of use of force incidents.