May 26, 2022 -- Beginning in early June, the Police Department is launching a fun new way for Highland Park's youngest residents to meet and engage with Highland Park Police Officers: a trading card program! Each trading card - 56 in total - features one Highland Park officer, including a photo, information about the officer's training or interests, and more!
Kids in grades pre-K - 8 are invited to collect officers' cards to be entered to win a raffle at National Night Out on Tuesday, August 2. Kids who collect 20, 40, or all 56 trading cards will be entered into the raffle once, twice, or three times respectively.
A master list of all 56 cards will be available at the following locations in early June:
- City Hall (1707 St. Johns Ave.)
- Police Department (1677 Old Deerfield Rd.)
- Fire Department Headquarters (1130 Central Ave.)
- Rec Center (1207 Park Ave. W.)
- West Ridge Center (636 W. Ridge Rd.)
- Hidden Creek Aquapark (1220 Fredrickson Place.)
To collect an officer's card, kids must speak with that officer. The trading card program encourages children to feel safe approaching police officers.
Highland Park officers are always out and about in the community, but kids (and their parents) are welcome to visit the Police Department to collect additional cards from officers who might be working that day.
Children and parents are asked to keep the following guidelines in mind when collecting cards:
- Kids must approach the officer to receive a card! If your little one is nervous, officers will be happy to work with you and your child to help them feel more comfortable.
- Please do not approach officers if an officer is near their patrol car with lights activated or if the officer appears to be interacting with the public in an official capacity.
- Please always keep safety in mind: remind kids not to run across the street or otherwise jeopardize their own safety to obtain a card.
Visit cityhpil.com/police after June 1 to learn more about picking up the trading card master list and submitting your child's collected cards. Many thanks to Trek Highland Park and the Park District of Highland Park for their partnership in presenting this program!