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Police Department

Kevin McQuaid, Chief

 Chief McQuaid has a Bachelor's Degree in Law Enforcement from Cleveland State University. He is a graduate of PELC IX (Police Executive Leadership College). Chief McQuaid joined the Police Department in July of 1977 and was promoted to Chief in November of 2002 after sixteen years as a Lieutenant.

Have a tip or information concerning a crime? Contact us using our secure form.

Report a malfunctioning traffic signal in the city by clicking here.

When experiencing an emergency, dial 911
To request a patrol unit for incidents that are NOT life threatening, call 216-433-1234.
For informational purposes call 216-433-1239.

Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Brook Park Police Department is to provide high quality services to our citizens with an emphasis on improving the quality of life in our community by promoting a safe environment.
To accomplish this goal,  we will prepare ourselves and our organization by achieving high levels of competency to provide police services that deter crime, protect persons and property, and create a sense of security in our community..
In the coming years, we will provide our organization and ourselves, through training and implementing policies and procedures that exemplify our genuine commitment to provide the best quality services for the citizens for whom we serve...

From the Newsletter

HOORAY FOR HELMETS
When the AAA Helmet Smart campaign literature did not arrive, two Brook
Park Officers quickly designed and implemented a City program to promote Helmet Safety. In a short time Ptls. George Sakellakis and Thomas Chmura assisted by Debbie Zingale designed a ‘citation’ and recruited rewards from McDonald’s and AMF Bowling so the children in Brook Park riding bicycles with helmets could continue to receive award ‘citations’ for prizes. They also were able to get funding to award a bicycle to one lucky winner. During the summer Ptl. Mark Zebraski issued a ‘citation’ to Cameron Meade, 6 years old, and after a drawing he was awarded a brand new bicycle on August 27th.

NIGHT EYES
The Night Eyes program has been very successful. Officers patrolling neighborhoods during evening hours place courtesy placards on safety concerns such as unlocked garage doors and vehicles. We have received many positive comments from the community on the program. Unfortunately, we are still taking many theft reports from residents reporting items missing from their unlocked vehicles. IPods, M3P players, cds and other various items are most commonly targeted. So once again, LOCK YOUR VEHICLES, potential thieves will look elsewhere. Thanks for your cooperation.

CAD/RMS
After many years of research, we are currently implementing our new Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System. We have partnered with Visionair Systems and by the beginning of 2009, we will have trained all our officers and dispatchers. We will truly be able to do field based reporting from the patrol cars, barcode evidence, and better manage our information. This benefits the residents by allowing officers to spend more time in the neighborhoods and less time on station. This also allows us to better track crime patterns and trends.

TRAFFIC GRANTS
This year our Department has been part of the University Hospital and Rainbow Babies and Children Hospital’s Speed Reckless Aggressive Driving Task Force. Overtime hours are paid to police through the grant to target aggressive driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, and seat belt and child restraint usage. We have totaled 147 hours of enforcement and officers have made 297 citations issued, including 4 OVI arrests, 21 seat belt citations, 1 child restraint citation, 6 driving under suspension and 109 citations for speed. These details are fully funded by grants, so there is no cost to the city, but all fine money is kept by the participating jurisdiction. We thank University Hospitals for the opportunity to provide additional patrols to keep our streets safe. Education is a key part of the hospital’s efforts. Our department participated in the Greater Cleveland Auto Show providing education for safety in and around cars. University also provided technicians to assist with the Bike Rodeo in June.

Information for Residents

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
The Police Department depends on citizens calling to report crimes or suspicious activity. Recently we have had a number of criminal mischief and criminal damaging complaints in our neighborhoods, including spray painting and other types of damage. We try to patrol all the neighborhoods, but often time an observant citizen is the important link that leads to apprehension. The dispatcher who takes your call will ask questions about the suspicious activity to determine its nature and ask for descriptions of the people involved. It may seem that they are asking numerous questions, but all the information is important to help us respond. Often a police cruiser is on the way while this information is being obtained. You may be asked if an officer or detective may contact you. Please call 911 or 216- 433-1234 to report suspicious activity. Or, you may make an anonymous report of criminal or suspicious activity at the city website using the link at the Police Department site.

TEEN PARTIES
The Police Department reminds you that anyone under 21 who uses, possesses or attempts to purchase alcoholic beverages is in violation of the Law. Juveniles will be charged accordingly. Adults, age 18 to 20, face a possible sentence of 6 months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Parents or adults who provide and/or allow underage drinking in their home or on their property are in violation of Ohio’s “Keg Law.” Violation is punishable with up to 6 months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. Parents who host underage drinking also risk civic liability.

INHALANT ABUSE ON THE RISE
You may have seen recent reports on national news programs reporting a rise in inhalant abuse among teens. This has been a problem for years. Many parents are not aware that there have been severe injuries and deaths from a practice known as ‘dusting’. This form of inhalant abuse is associated with the use of cans of common aerosolized computer keyboard cleaners that contain compressed gas. It can provoke irregular heart rhythms which lead to sudden fatal cardiac arrest in even very young and healthy hearts. This is something every parent should at
least be aware of, as this practice has been shown in films and is on the internet.

REPORT MALFUNCTIONING TRAFFIC SIGNALS
We have created a form on our website to report any malfunctioning traffic signals. We will investigate all reports. Feel free to report any problems you might be having with the cycling of the new system at this website. This form will remain permanent so other outages or problems can be reported as well.

CRIME TIPS
You may also leave a ‘tip’ on a crime or criminal activity that occurred in your neighborhood. Just go to the website and follow the simple directions. We will keep your identity anonymous if you request. We only ask for personal information so that we may follow-up with you on the report.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What time is curfew?
Between the hours of 10:00 pm and 5:00 am on Sunday thru Thursday.
Between the hours of 11:00 pm and 5:00 am on Friday and Saturday.
Unless accompanied by parent or guardian or other responsible adult over the age of 21 who has been given permission by the parent or guardian. (Ord #509.09)

2. Can I park my car on the street overnight?
Parking is prohibited between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00am on any city street. Emergency permission may be granted by dispatch upon request.

3. I need to be fingerprinted. Can you do it?
We will fingerprint residents as a service to them. Generally, fingerprinting is done between the hours of 4pm and 6pm if a jailer is on duty. We recommend calling first at 216 433 1239 as the jailer may not be available. This service may be provided at other times if we can accommodate you, but you must call first. Proof of residency is required.

Programs

Drug Abuse Resistance Education

The City of Brook Park has had the D.A.R.E. program in place for over ten years. It is currently run by Officer Tom Dickel. D.A.R.E. is a collaborative effort by D.A.R.E. certified law enforcement officers, educators, students, parents and community leaders to offer an educational program in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse, violence and gang involvement along children and youth, Grades K-6. It is a preventative program designed to equip students with the skills to recognize and resist pressures to experiment with and use harmful drugs. Please contact our D.A.R.E. Officer Tom at 216-433-1239 Ext. 339 or by email at tdickel@cityofbrookpark.com.

John J. Walsh Safety Town

 The 2008 Safety Town Program will have two sessions: Session 1: June 16th – June 27th Session 2: July 21st – Aug 1st The program is for Brook Park children, 5 years of age, who will be starting kindergarten in the fall. This two week program teaches the students basic traffic safety, stranger safety, fire safety and school bus safety. The program is taught by Middle School students under the general direction of Sgt. James Stopiak and Ptl. Tom Dickel of the Brook Park Police Department. Sign-ups for the program will begin in May and run through July. There are two sessions each day and they run 1 ½ hours in length. The classes begin at 8:30
AM and 11 AM. Information packets and registration forms will be available at City Hall, the Recreation Center and the Police Station beginning in May.