University Park board adopts Lexipole policy, approves new evidence system and deputy-chief assessment contract
May 28, 2026 | University Park, Will County, Illinois
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The University Park Board of Trustees on May 27 voted to adopt Lexipole, a standardized policy-management system for the police department, and approved equipment and hiring-related contracts intended to strengthen evidence security and recruitment.
Trustees approved the Lexipole policy subscription in a roll-call vote after a board presentation describing it as an industry-standard platform that keeps policy current and provides officer acknowledgments and testing. An agency official said Lexipole will standardize policies “from hiring to pretty much everything in the police department” and that attorneys vet the product to help manage legal risk.
The board also authorized purchase of Fortress Plus, an evidence-room inventory system intended to secure and track physical evidence. Trustee votes on the item passed by roll call.
Separately, trustees approved a contract with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police to conduct an assessment center for the deputy chief position. Trustee Thompson moved the contract and Trustee Brooks seconded; the board voted to approve the agreement.
Police and public-safety officials described the items as components of a broader effort to professionalize department operations, tighten chain-of-custody procedures and improve hiring practices amid an ongoing recruitment shortfall. The police department reported continuing background checks for applicants and said it was pursuing grants and equipment updates alongside those policy changes.
The board provided no fiscal breakdown in the meeting for the Lexipole subscription or the Fortress Plus purchase; trustees said grant opportunities and budget lines would be pursued or applied where available. The department also outlined other recent investments, including a state grant for fire-department thermal imaging equipment announced in the same meeting.
The measures take effect as the department completes implementation steps and schedules training and system-rollout tasks.
Trustees approved the Lexipole policy subscription in a roll-call vote after a board presentation describing it as an industry-standard platform that keeps policy current and provides officer acknowledgments and testing. An agency official said Lexipole will standardize policies “from hiring to pretty much everything in the police department” and that attorneys vet the product to help manage legal risk.
The board also authorized purchase of Fortress Plus, an evidence-room inventory system intended to secure and track physical evidence. Trustee votes on the item passed by roll call.
Separately, trustees approved a contract with the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police to conduct an assessment center for the deputy chief position. Trustee Thompson moved the contract and Trustee Brooks seconded; the board voted to approve the agreement.
Police and public-safety officials described the items as components of a broader effort to professionalize department operations, tighten chain-of-custody procedures and improve hiring practices amid an ongoing recruitment shortfall. The police department reported continuing background checks for applicants and said it was pursuing grants and equipment updates alongside those policy changes.
The board provided no fiscal breakdown in the meeting for the Lexipole subscription or the Fortress Plus purchase; trustees said grant opportunities and budget lines would be pursued or applied where available. The department also outlined other recent investments, including a state grant for fire-department thermal imaging equipment announced in the same meeting.
The measures take effect as the department completes implementation steps and schedules training and system-rollout tasks.
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