Investigations

The Investigations Division is supervised by a Detective Commander and is made up of 6 Investigators, 2 School Resource Officers, 1 Narcotics Officer assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 1 Crime Analyst, and an Evidence Custodian. Elmhurst Detectives are trained, experienced investigators who specialize in crimes such as burglary, robbery, assault/battery, auto theft, and identity theft in addition to investigating deaths in the community. During the course of an investigation, detectives might be called upon to interview witnesses and victims, interrogate suspects, and examine crime scenes for physical evidence with which to identify suspects.

Investigators are assigned to follow up on crimes that were initially reported to the uniformed patrol division. Detectives are subject to call-in 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, and members of the division are also sometimes called upon to work with other local, state, or federal agencies to assist in more serious or complex cases.

School Resource Officers

Waldenmeyer SRO 081617Elmhurst currently has 2 detectives assigned to liaison with community schools. The primary goal of School Resource Officers is to develop a safe, secure environment within the schools; these officers work collaboratively with administrators, educators, staff and parents to achieve that goal. School Resource Officers are in contact with administrators from three high schools, three middle schools, and the local elementary schools in Elmhurst. School Resource Officers respond to calls for service within the schools and document information that is collected during the course of their duties but also have the ability to conduct criminal investigations. In addition, they are also responsible for planning courses of instruction pertaining to current youth-related issues. By playing the role of coach, teacher and mentor, School Resource Officers not only have a significant impact on our students’ lives but also help foster better community relations between the police department and the residents of Elmhurst.

Stephen BuhrPolice Department Social Worker

Stephen Buhr, LCSW   Hahn & Associates

The Elmhurst Police Department partners with Hahn and Associates to offer counseling services when needed. Stephen Buhr, a licensed clinical social worker, works part-time for the Police Department in addition to providing counseling and social services to the community.

Stephen helps address problems at their core and is on call for Department needs; he has responded to assist in crisis counseling, death notifications, and various types of domestic trouble. Stephen keeps an office at the Elmhurst Police Station where he is able to offer private one-on-one or family counseling to address issues that are discovered and reported to him by police officers as they respond to calls in the community. In 2021, Stephen provided counseling on domestic violence, child abuse and/or neglect, teenage pregnancy, elder abuse and/or neglect, substance abuse, job loss, depression/anxiety, coping with grief, couples problems, and teenage bullying.

In 2021, Stephen handled 185 cases for the Elmhurst Police Department with a combined total of 285 crisis intervention hours and in-house counseling hours. Stephen also offers his services to employees of the Police Department who might experience a tragedy of some sort, whether on or off-duty, that they would require some help for in processing their emotions in order to make a full recovery. We are proud to partner with Stephen to provide these necessary services in Elmhurst, and we appreciate his contributions to keeping our community healthy.