KEWANEE, Ill. — The Kewanee Police Department will have two new officers join its ranks. That's thanks to a community policing grant from the Department of Justice, called Community Oriented Policing Services.
Police Chief Stephen Kijanowski said he learned about the $250,000 grant on Tuesday. It's enough to pay for the salaries of two officers for three years—something he said the department has needed since 2020.
"We had some issues financially that every place faced, and we had to cut through attrition, had to get rid of officers, we lost our specialty programs," Kijanowski said.
He said that led to more crime and fewer arrests, 73% fewer for narcotics-related offenses. From 2020 to 2022, the city saw a 79% increase in crimes involving weapons. Based on investigations, Kijanowski said a majority of those crimes were related to drug distribution. New officers will help change that.
But this funding won't just put more cops on the street. It will give two experienced officers the chance to focus on building relationships with the people the serve.
One of those officers is going to Central Junior High School as a school resource officer. Kijanowski said the officer at Kewanee High School is a big hit.
"He actually is probably more a part of the school than he is the police department," Kijanowski said. "He has fed in well there, the staff really like having him there, the students gravitate to him."
Another big hit—a program started last year called DAART, or the Drug and Alcohol Addiction Response Team. One of the officers freed up by the grant will be a part of that team.
In addition to law enforcement, the team connects those struggling with addiction or mental health issues with the help they need.
"Support people that need the support, not just, 'Hey you have a drug problem, let me drop you off with the hospital,'" Kijanowski said. "We’re gonna do follow up, maybe try to get them into a treatment center. We work with our drug court and just try to find people that want help, try to find the places they need to get it."
But the best way to get people to treatment isn't in a cop car. The department bought a Chrysler Pacifica, an unmarked minivan. That's because people in that situation may have had negative experiences with police.
The DAART program is funded through a different grant. Once the funding runs out next year, Kijanowski said the department will find a different funding source to keep it running.
With another officer on the team, Kewanee can get more people on the road to recovery. And Kijanowski said they're already working on decreasing crime. He said shooting incidents in Kewanee have decreased since 2022, thanks to successful investigations and arrests.