The 2018 Law Enforcement Exhibition Is History                                         

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!

The following agencies participated in the 2018 Exhibition:

• Bannockburn Police Department
• Buffalo Grove Police Department and K9
• College of Lake County Police Department
• Deerfield Police Department  Child Safety Seat Checks
• Glencoe Public Safety Department
• Grayslake Police Department
• Gurnee Police Department
• Hawthorn Woods Police Department
• Kildeer Police Department
• Lake County Adult Probation
• Lake County Coroner's Office
• Lake County Crime Stoppers
• Lake County MEG 
• Lake County Sheriff's Office and K9's
• Lake Forest Police Department
• Libertyville Police Department
• Mt. Prospect Police Department
• Mundelein Police Department and K9
• Niles Police Department
• Northeast Illinois 911 Professionals
• Prospect Heights Police Department
• Round Lake Police Department
• United States Army
• Wauconda Police Department and K9
• Waukegan Police Department
• Zion Police Department
• And of course, the Vernon Hills Police Department

Recap of the 2018 Exhibition

Over two dozen police and police-related agencies were on hand at Hawthorn Mall (Routes 21 and 60) on the weekend of September 8 & 9, 2018 for the 14th Annual Law Enforcement Exhibition. We estimate that approximately 40,000 people came through the doors to see squad cars, police motorcycles, two Humvees, K9 demonstrations and all kinds of police equipment. There were many activities for the kids and plenty of giveaways and information! 

Something new for 2018 was a child safety seat check event coordinated by the Deerfield Police Department. On Saturday, September 8, certified child safety seat technicians were in the lower level parking lot to assist anyone with questions or concerns about child seat installations. Over 60 child safety seats were serviced

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.

2018 K9 Demonstrations

Five fantastic K9 demonstrations were held during the 2018 event. 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, the first demonstration was conducted by MEG Agent Keith Ringham (and his K9 partrner Varro). Lake County Sheriff Deputy Dwight Arrowood and his partner Duke did the 4:00 demonstration. At 7:00 Agent Ringham and Varro were joined by Officer Danielle Baron (and Hogyn) from the Buffalo Grove Police Department for a great tag-team finale to the day. 

The first Sunday demonstration was done by Officer Steve Kroll (and Titan) from the Mundelein Police Department. Deputy John Florenza and his partner Dax brought the weekend demos to a conclusion at 4:00. 

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

Some of the things that were seen at the 2018 Exhibition:

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

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, The Claim Company, Panera Bread and Sbarro 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.

Please enjoy these pictures from the 2018 Law Enforcement Exhibition