Department Structure
Home Department Structure

Department Structure

The Zion Police Department is comprised of 53 sworn officers, 4 full-time and 7 part-time civilian employees, under the direction of Chief of Police Eric Barden and Deputy Chief of Police Christopher Sweeting.

The Police Department is divided into 3 divisions, Patrol, Administrative and Investigations.

  • The Patrol Division, under the direction of Lieutenant Derek Zaloudek, is made up of three Patrol Shifts. The shifts are supervised by 7 Patrol Sergeants. The Patrol Officers are the most visible members of the department, responding to all calls for service, working traffic crashes, and investigating cases that do not require extensive investigation.
  • The Administrative Division, under the direction of Lieutenant Jon Meyers, oversees the Records Department, department training, grant funding, and other logistical factors.
      • The Police Records Department is made up of civilian employees who maintain the extensive files of police reports that are processed on a daily basis.
      • Records personnel provide walk-in service for the department and assist with requests for police or traffic accident reports, take payments for parking citations or other administrative fees, and provide general information. 
      • Records personnel cannot take payments for traffic tickets as this is handled by the municipal court.
      • The records department can be reached by calling 847-379-8307 or emailing Zionpdrecords@zion.il.us.
      • The records division is open Monday-Friday from 8:00-11:30 am and 12:30-5:00 pm, it is closed on weekends and holidays.
  • The Zion Police Department has three Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) compliance officers. FOIA requests can be tendered in person at the records desk or emailed to Zionpdrecords@zion.il.us.
  • Community Service Officers (CSOs) provide a wide variety of services to the community and the department. The department employs one full-time and several part-time CSOs for the road, one full-time CSO for evidence, and one part-time CSO for investigations.
      • The Road CSOs handle tasks such as traffic direction, motorist assistance, parking enforcement and responding to animal complaints.
      • The Evidence CSO is responsible for cataloging evidence that has been collected and transferring items to the crime lab.
      • The Investigations CSO assists the Criminal Investigations Unit with necessary tasks, oversees the sex offender registrations and fingerprints potential applicants for background checks.
  • The Investigations Division, under the direction of Lieutenant Paul Kehrli, is made up of two units: Criminal Investigations and Street Crimes.
      • The Criminal Investigations Unit consists of four detectives that work on general crimes such as residential burglary, assault and battery, fraud/financial, and missing persons.
      • The Street Crimes Unit consists of two detectives and an Investigative Sergeant that work on crimes that have a nexus to drugs or gang activity. The Police Canine Unit is also assigned to the Street Crimes Unit.

While initial complaints should always be reported to the main police line 847-872-8000, follow-up questions and/or tips can be directed to the investigations line at 847-746-4110 or emailed to Zionpdinvestigation@zion.il.us.

  • The Zion Police Department has three School Resource Officers, each assigned full-time to Shiloh Park Middle School, Zion Central Middle School and Zion-Benton High School.

SRO Vines
Shiloh Park Middle School

SRO Thornton
Zion Central Middle School

SRO Robles
Zion-Benton High School

  • There are many special teams within the department:
      • Accident Investigation Unit – This unit is responsible for investigating crashes resulting in serious injury or death. Accident investigators receive extensive additional training specifically related to crash investigation.
      • Bicycle Patrol Unit (BPU) – This unit allows officers more maneuverability in crowds and other areas not easily accessible by vehicle. There are ten officers assigned to the BPU and they can often be seen at community events or patrolling the neighborhoods and bike paths. In 2024, Zion PD added four power assisted bicycles to the fleet.
        • Canine Unit – The Zion Police Department takes great pride in its Canine Unit and their accomplishments. The Zion Police Department’s canine unit consists of a single handler and canine. Both the handler and canine attended Tops Kennel in Grayslake, Illinois for their basic training.  The Canine Unit trains on a consistent basis to keep the canine/handler team sharp and proficient at their skills and will continue to train at Tops for the life of the canine.
        The State of Illinois sets strict guidelines and performance standards for canine teams. Our canine team certifies each year within the guidelines set forth by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. Our Canine Unit has been funded almost entirely by a private foundation and seized narcotics money. The canine unit is trained to:
        1. Track human scent to assist in locating fleeing suspects
        2. Building searches to assist in locating hidden suspects
        3. Narcotics sniffs to detect illegal narcotics
        4. Perform article searches for discarded evidence or lost items
        5. Area searches of wide outdoor areas to locate suspects
        6. To protect the handler, other officers and citizens
        7. To be a visual deterrent for crime.
        These capabilities benefit the community and the department by making use of the canine’s speed, agility, and sense of detection to better serve common goals.  The canine team can cover an area in less time than a team of officers. The Zion Police Department’s canine is also available for public demonstrations through a written request to the Chief’s office.  These presentations focus on the job of a working Police Canine and its handler as a way of creating a better understanding of the Canine Unit with the community. Demonstrations provide the community with an entertaining way to learn more about the unit and how the team works.  As a reminder, our canine is not a passive dog and should not be touched by anyone but the handler or approached without permission.  However, Ofc. Ogden loves to answer any questions and is happy to speak to anyone about his canine partner, Taz.

        • Drone Team – In 2024, Zion PD purchased two DJI drones which enhance policing by allowing for better observation at crowded events, greater search capabilities for missing persons, and high-quality evidence documentation. The team currently has 3 FAA certified drone operators.
          • Evidence Technician Team – This unit is responsible for identifying and recovering crime-related evidence. Technicians are trained to gather evidence through photography, diagramming, crime scene sketching and to collect and package evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, tool marks and footwear castings, narcotics, firearms, biological and trace evidence.
          • Tactical Response Team – This team provides specialized support in handling critical field operations where advanced tactical deployment methods, beyond the capacity of field officers, appear to be necessary. They respond to incidents such as higher risk arrest warrants, search warrants, and any situation in which their participation could enhance the department’s ability to preserve life, maintain social order, and ensure the protection of property.
          • Zion Police Department participates in several multi-jurisdictional teams and task forces:
            • Lake County Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) – assists with incident plan development, disaster management and cost containment for major incidents
            • Lake County Major Crime Task Force – respond to homicides, suspicious deaths, in-custody deaths, officer-involved shootings, and other heinous crimes
            • Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) – investigate crashes involving fatalities or serious injuries and crashes involving municipal vehicles
            • Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) – Mobile Field Force – respond to civil disturbance incidents and other events involving large or disorderly crowds
            • Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) – Emergency Services Team – respond to hostage/barricade incidents, high-risk warrant service, major crime scene searches, search and rescue missions, dignitary protection and similar tactical incidents
            • Lake County Special Investigations Group (SIG) – focuses on longer term investigations of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations
            • Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) – task force officer assigned to assist with specific cases such as drug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism or gang activity.
            • Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) – task force officer assigned to assist with investigations regarding violations of federal laws and regulations related to the criminal misuse of firearms and explosives, firearms trafficking, acts of arson, and the diversion of alcohol and tobacco products.
          Being a part of multi-jurisdictional teams allows for increased expertise, greater efficiency through the sharing of resources, enhanced communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Task force officers contribute local knowledge to wider investigations and have direct access to additional resources.

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