The Elgin Police Department is making its downtown ROPE officer position a hybrid role as it continues to reassess the program and how the vacant ROPE house on Jay Street could be used, Cmdr. Steve Bianchi said.
Ultan Gallagher, who joined the force in 2019, has been appointed to the downtown position.
“He’s considered a ROPE (Resident Officer Program of Elgin) officer and will work with the Downtown Neighborhood Association (of Elgin) and address different concerns (of business owners and residents),” Bianchi said. “It’s going to be his primary role.”
However, Gallagher also will be part of the crime-free housing unit, which works with landlords and tenants to identify problems and find solutions, he said.
The department is trying to use its resources efficiently, and the hybrid position does that, Bianchi said.
Gallagher is trained in Crisis Intervention Training and has been working in the patrol division. He is part of the SWAT team, the Emergency Services Detail and the Collaborative Crisis Services Unit. He worked as a social worker before becoming an officer.
“He’s got a great attitude and a strong work ethic, and he’s got a great understanding of the community and of people from all walks of life,” Bianchi said. “We thought he would be a great fit. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.”
Gallagher doesn’t live downtown, which is different from the four other ROPE positions. Currently, there are three officers who live rent free in homes owned by the city. A fourth home at 429 Jay St. is unoccupied.
ROPE officers handle calls after hours, attend community meetings, organize neighborhood events for children and help resolve neighbor issues, according to the police department’s website.
Typically, a ROPE officer is assigned to a house for five years and then has the option of signing on for another two years. Earlier this year, ROPE officer Hector Gutierrez left the house at 110 N. Union St. after seven years and was replaced by veteran officer Bob Henke.
Henke, an Elgin native and second-generation police officer, has been with the department for more than 20 years, Bianchi said. He’s a permanent beat officer and well known in the neighborhood, he said.
Since the Jay Street house isn’t being used as a residence and the ROPE position is open, one option could be to create another hybrid position and use the property as a neighborhood community center, Bianchi said.
The ROPE officer assigned to the area would have office hours and the neighbors could use the residence for community meetings, job training sessions or other activities, he said. The police department has applied for a grant to fix up the property and make it more sustainable, he said.
“We’re still looking at that project and figuring out how things would work,” Bianchi said. “We are looking at what we can try to do.”
Elgin once had about nine ROPE houses, but more than half have closed as the department saw a reduction in crime. Elgin crime rate is now at a 40-year low so the question is whether the departments needs to continue the ROPE program.
“It’s a bit of a touchy topic, but we are always assessing and looking at what we are doing, why we are doing it and where we can use our resources better,” Bianchi said.
“We don’t know if there’s always going to be a need for a ROPE program. It might transition in the years to come.”
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
