Northern Illinois Police Alarm System

The Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS) represents a joint venture of suburban municipal police departments in the Chicago metropolitan area. Fifteen police agencies created NIPAS in 1983 to ensure effective police mutual aid in times of natural disasters. From these humble beginnings, the system has grown to include law enforcement agencies of 93 cities, villages, and towns in five counties.

A governing board consisting entirely of police chiefs directs NIPAS and approves its annual budget, which serves as the basis for all NIPAS expenditures. Member agencies pay a set annual fee to participate, thus providing both the staff and the finances needed to manage the system.
Background	In 1982, severe flooding nearly devastated several small communities along the shores of Lake Michigan north of Chicago. Public safety resources, especially those of law enforcement agencies, became stretched to the limit. Although neighboring communities responded with assistance, police leaders realized they needed a better organized system with pre-planned deployment procedures. The following year, chiefs of fifteen police agencies in Illinois’ northern Cook and southern Lake counties established NIPAS through an intergovernmental mutual aid agreement. This legal document authorized neighboring agencies to work together in times of need. In 1988, bylaws formalized the original agreement.
Activating the System	Whether faced with a natural disaster of the unexpected results of a special event, a member agency may request assistance for any situation its command staff believes the agency cannot handle with its own resources. The requesting agency’s incident commander contacts the system’s dispatching center, Northwest Central Dispatch System, and identifies the level of response needed. There are ten levels, each one calling for an additional five officers to respond according to a pre-determined alarm plan. Thus, Level 1 requires five officers to respond; Level 10 requires fifty.
	The dispatch center quickly sends the appropriate number of fully equipped officers to a pre-selected mobilization point within the requesting agency’s jurisdiction. The incident commander also deploys a personnel officer, who records each officer’s arrival and assigns each one as required.
Additional Resources	NIPAS member agencies have the option of participating in two additional NIPAS programs… a special tactical squad know as the Emergency Services Team and a special crowd control team known as the Mobile Field Force.

NIPAS Agencies

Antioch
Arlington Heights
Bannockburn
Barrington
Barrington Hills
Bartlett
Bellwood
Berkeley
Berwyn
Broadview
Buffalo Grove
Burr Ridge
Carpentersville
Countryside
Deerfield
Des Plaines
Elk Grove Village
Elmhurst
Elmwood Park
Evanston
Forest Park
Forest View
Fox Lake
Franklin Park
Glencoe
Glenview
Golf
Grayslake
Gurnee
Hanover Park
Harwood Heights
Highland Park
Highwood
Hillside
Hoffman Estates
Indian Head Park
Inverness
Kenilworth
La Grange
La Grange Park
Lake Bluff
Lake Forest
Lake Villa
Lake Zurich
Libertyville
Lincolnshire
Lincolnwood
Lyons
Maywood
McCook
McHenry
Melrose Park
Morton Grove
Mount Prospect
Mundelein
Niles
Norridge
North Riverside
Northbrook
Northfield
Northlake
Oak Brook
Palatine
Park Ridge
Prospect Heights
River Forest
River Grove
Riverside
Rolling Meadows
Roselle
Rosemont
Round Lake
Round Lake Beach
Round Lake Park
Schaumburg
Schiller Park
Skokie
South Barrington
South Elgin
Stickney
Stone Park
Streamwood
Vernon Hills
Villa Park
Wauconda
Waukegan
West Dundee
Westchester
Western Springs
Wheeling
Wilmette
Winnetka
Zion