Early Highwood settlers referred to their law enforcement officers as “marshal”. Later they were called “Chief of Police”. The first marshal in Highwood was Andrew Wahlman who served from 1887 until 1888.

Village police were faced with a new problem after an amusement center named Fort Sheridan Park was created at the northwest corner of Clay Street. The parks rustic beauty, and entertainment attracted large crowds who arrived in Highwood aboard trolley cars. The trolley coaches also carried liquor-seeking patrons, who created new problems for village police.

Marshal Gordon complained to the village trustees that patrolling the city and the park was too much work for two people. The frequent appearance of neighboring police chief Peter Loesch, whizzing through Highwood on his bicycle, was a familiar reminder that more policemen were needed, and in 1896, the village trustees voted to establish a police department.

The village board ordered residents to help the police with emergency tasks if called. This gave officers more time to attend to their regular duties of “protecting

Strangers at the railroad depot”, and fining people who allowed their cows and pigs to run loose in the streets or stroll on the sidewalks.

During World War II, the cooperation between the Highwood Police Department and the Fort Sheridan police established a national record for “lawfulness” in a city bordering an army base during wartime. In car-radio systems helped the Highwood and Highland Park police forces to provide mutual aid in times of emergency as well in daily routine.

Today the Highwood Police Department provides a wide range of services to the community. The department is staffed by 13 full-time and 5 part-time, State of Illinois, certified police officers. In addition to sworn police personnel the Department employs a full-time Records Clerk and a Community Service Officer.

Police services include 24-hour preventative patrols, emergency response, and enhanced 911 emergency communications, traffic and parking enforcement, criminal and juvenile investigations, drug and gang enforcement and animal control assistance.

Telecommunications services are provided to the Highwood Police Department by the Lake Forest Police Department Communications Center on a contractual basis, which began in 1999. The Lake Forest Police Department’s Telecommunication Center provides state of the art emergency 911 and non-emergency dispatch services to Highwood residents and businesses.