Community Service Officer (CSO)

Are you an aspiring law enforcement professional looking to gain invaluable field experience? Do you have strong communication skills and a passion for helping your community? The City of Lake Forest is seeking a dedicated and community-minded Community Service Officer to support our Police Department.

As a uniformed, unarmed civilian, you will work directly alongside our sworn police officers, gaining a deep understanding of police procedures, tactics, and operations. This position provides an environment that actively encourages the development of your problem-solving, decision-making, and interpersonal communication skills, setting a strong foundation to help you become a certified law enforcement officer at a local, county, or state agency.

• Public & Community Service: Work directly with the public to handle, de-escalate, and resolve non-criminal complaints. Provide traffic control at vehicle accidents, active construction zones, and designated school crossing details. Assist with equipment set-up, crowd control, and traffic routing for city-sponsored and community events. Conduct routine visibility patrols in commercial districts and high-violation parking zones.
• Calls for Service & Reports: Write comprehensive, accurate incident reports for minor crimes, property damage, and non-injury traffic accidents. Manage walk-in citizen requests, process station reports, and answer non-emergency telephone inquiries. Apply and interpret local municipal codes to deliver accurate information to residents, visitors, and department staff.
• Ordinance Enforcement: Issue citations for violations of local regulations, including parking restrictions, animal control laws, and city vehicle compliance. Investigate animal control complaints, handle reported animal bites, and process required quarantine paperwork. Safely capture, restrain, and transport stray, injured, or lost domestic pets and local wildlife to designated shelters.
• Departmental Support: Transport department vehicles and specialized equipment to and from municipal garages or repair facilities. Retrieve and deliver documents, evidence, and specialized gear as authorized by department supervisors. Support sworn personnel with data entry, evidence logging, and general administrative tasks as assigned.

• High School Graduate or GED equivalent.
• Valid Illinois Driver’s License.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to read, write, and speak clearly.
• Ability to work well under pressure and function at a high level under hectic, fast-paced conditions.
• Working knowledge of standard productivity software (Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook) and the adaptability to learn proprietary police Records Management Systems (RMS) and electronic ticketing software.

The City of Lake Forest is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and experiences.