Minooka officers and department earn kudos

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Matthew Juras

Updated: March 7, 2012 8:03AM

It’s not very often that police officers get a pat on the back unless they perform a heroic deed. Their day-to-day jobs of protecting the public go pretty much unnoticed.

So it’s always nice to make a big deal of it when an officer is recognized for something special.

Minooka police Officer Matthew Juras was named Officer of the Year recently by Police Chief Justin Meyer.

Juras has been with the Minooka force since 2007. Meyer said he comes in every day and focuses on three goals: traffic safety, community involvement and crime prevention.

When Juras is out on patrol, he concentrates on seat-belt enforcement, speeders and people who are driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs — all to keep others safe.

Over and above that, Juras has been an instructor for the department’s Cadet Program and the Citizen’s Police Academy. He’s even a Taser instructor.

Juras is also assigned to the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System Mobile Field Force Team, a task force that responds during public emergencies or civil disorder.

Juras quietly accepted the Officer of the Year award at the village board meeting the end of January. He didn’t have a speech prepared, but he accepted the award with a smile of appreciation.

“Matthew Juris is a leader among his co-workers,” Meyer said. “He sets a standard for other people to follow.”

At the same meeting, Meyer presented the entire Minooka Police Department with a departmental citation.

In 2008 the department developed a strategic plan. Their objective was to reduce crime by 6 percent every year for three years.

They not only reached, but exceeded their goal by leaps and bounds. Over the past three years burglaries have gone down by 57 percent, criminal damage to property by 36 percent, thefts by 48 percent and assault and battery by 73 percent.

They were able to do it, said Meyer, by expanding their efforts. They worked closely with staff at Minooka High School to create a safe school environment. Detectives networked with police departments in other communities to keep on top of area crimes and solving cases.

Patrol officers stay in touch with residents and businesses so they know what’s going on in the village, and community programs such as Neighborhood Watch and homeowners associations have been re-established or started.

During an economic downturn, you might expect crime to be increasing, especially thefts, Meyer said.

“It’s a team effort,” Meyer said. “Everybody working together and knowing their responsibilities has paid off.”

Minooka Village President Pat Brennan thanked every one of the officers and detectives as they shook the hands of each board member.

“The people of Minooka are very lucky,” Brennan said.

Village Trustee Barry Thompson said he was glad the entire department received the citation.

While the statistics are important they only tell part of the story, he said: “What the statistics don’t tell are the individual stories about the officers and detectives when they are out doing their jobs of keeping the village safe.”

Reach Kris Stadalsky at
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