Law Enforcement Exhibition

The Countdown is on for the

2018 Law Enforcement Exhibition

Saturday & Sunday, September 8 & 9 at Hawthorn Mall

History of the Exhibition

In 2005, we hosted the inaugural Exhibition here in Vernon Hills. The event drew thousands of interested citizens locally and from all around the Chicago area. Due to its overwhelming success, Chief Mark Fleischhauer decided to make it an annual event. Furthermore, the event will always be scheduled for the weekend closest to September 11th, in order to honor our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on that day in 2001. This Exhibition was set up so police departments can show you the latest and greatest in crime prevention, education and criminal detection. Think of it as one big "open house" where area law enforcement agencies are present to show you the ins and outs of what the police can do for you - besides writing you a ticket!

Recap of the 2017 Exhibition

Over two dozen police and police-related agencies were on hand at Hawthorn Mall (Routes 21 and 60) on the weekend of September 9 & 10, 2017 for the 13th Annual Law Enforcement Exhibition. We estimate that approximately 40,000 people came through the doors to see squad cars, police motorcycles, a Humvee, K9 demonstrations and all kinds of police equipment. There were many activities for the kids and plenty of giveaways and information!

Some of the agencies also had Police Explorers on hand to not only help with their agency displays, but also to promote the Police Explorer Programs.

K9 Demonstrations

Five fantastic K9 demonstrations were held over the weekend. If you were there for one (or more) of them you witnessed the huge crowds that gathered to see these highly trained animals (and their handlers) show their skills and abilities.

On Saturday, demonstrations were conducted by Lake County Sheriff Deputies Craig Somerville and John Forlenza each conducted a demonstration with their K9 partners Diesel and Dax, respectively. Also, MEG Agent Keith Ringham and K9 Varro were joined by Buffalo Grove Officer Danielle Baron and K9 Hogyn for a double demonstration.

On Sunday, Mundelein Officer Steve Kroll and his K9 partner Titan did and early afternoon demonstration. Agent Ringham (and Varro) returned for the weekend's final demo late Sunday afternoon.

None of the demonstrations would have been possible without the cooperation and participation of Tops Training in Grayslake, including trainers Tim and Derek. Thank you to the entire staff at Tops!

Some of the things that were seen at the 2017 Exhibition:

K9 demonstrations
Tactical police gear
Child fingerprinting
DUI goggles
Interactive fingerprint display
Heat vision cameras
Many different types of police vehicles (sedans, Hunvees, SUV's, a vintage squad, ATV's, motorcycles and bicycles)
And lots and lots of educational material and handouts

The following agencies participated in the 2017 Exhibition:

Shout-Outs

Many thanks to Hawthorn Mall, Mall Manager Jeff Rutzen, and the entire staff (coordinator, security, engineering, housekeeping) at Hawthorn Mall for their continued support of this fantastic event and for all their help in making this such a success!

Special thanks also to Maggiano's Little Italy, Dave & Buster's, Panera Bread and Sbarro Pizza for their participation and assistance.

Contact

If you have questions about the Exhibition, please contact Kim Christenson at 847-247-4889 or send an send an email.

Enjoy These Pictures from the 2017 L.E. Exhibition