Inside the Fairview Heights Police Department

Chief Steven Johnson

Chief Steve Johnson started as the Chief of Police for the Fairview Heights Police Department in November of 2022.  Before that Chief Johnson was the Chief of Police for the Swansea Police Department since June of 2015.

He was the President of the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs Association covering seven counties and seventy-eight police agencies.  He is a member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and serves on their state and federal legislation working group.  He has been to the White House twice to discuss 21st Century Policing on a task force of police leaders.

He previously served with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department for 25 years.  He started as a Law Enforcement Explorer at the age of 14 then was hired as a civilian employee and worked his way up through Patrol Deputy, Sergeant, Master Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain.  He worked in the Criminal Investigation Section for 16 years and was also responsible for the Drug Tactical Unit, Special Response Team (SWAT), Street Crimes Unit, Domestic Violence Unit, Warrants, Evidence, Auto Theft Unit, Public Information Officer and Courthouse Security.  He served on the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis for 20 years.  He was sought out by the St. Clair County State’s Attorney for a newly created position of Special Operations Coordinator.  He retired from the Sheriff’s Department and started this new position specializing in helping victims of violent crime and coordinating all law enforcement in St. Clair County working together on special details.  He worked this position for a year and a half before becoming the Chief of Police.

Chief Johnson earned his Associate’s Degree in Administration of Justice, Bachelor’s Degree in Workforce Education and Master’s Degree in Computers and Management.  He also attended the Police Executive Role in the 21st Century, a Police Training Board certified executive program, and the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy (FBINA #224) in Quantico, Virginia.

Chief Johnson is an internationally recognized speaker in the area of Leadership, Officer Safety, Criminal Investigations, Cybercrime, Homeland Security, Response to Active Shooter, Interview and Interrogation, and various other topics.  He has taught in every state and several other countries to thousands of police officers and civilians through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and a private training company.  He is an adjunct instructor at a local community college and teaches numerous law enforcement classes.  He is also a published author and his most recent article was in Command Magazine titled, “The Hero’s Journey Begins, Again.”

 

 

 

Chief Johnson volunteers in the community in many capacities and is also a member of the Fairview Heights Rotary Club and is a Big in Blue with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.  He grew up in Belleville and lives nearby with his wife and two daughters and two amazing grandchildren.

Other information about Chief Johnson:

Voted in 2016, 2017, and 2018 Number One Police Officer (while Chief of Police) by the Belleville News Democrat for the Reader’s Choice Award.

  • Invited to the White House by President Barack Obama to become a member of the 21st Century Policing Panel.
  • Implemented significant community policing practices: Monthly Community Engagement Events moving to different neighborhoods, daily foot patrols in schools, neighborhoods, parks and businesses, Citizens and Police and Fire Youth Academies, strong social media presence, personally attend and speak at HOA, church and community groups, active Swansea Rotary member, police bicycle and ATV patrols, Swansea Cultural Working Group, and much more.
  • Board Member of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Legislative Committee to fix critical issues in the Safe-T Act.
  • Started the Police Community Wellness and Comfort Dog (Hamilton) through 100% donations for training. Canine and vehicle. Also started a Police K9 program.
  • While working at the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department:
    • Conducted daily media briefings as the Police Information Officer for local and national media. Holds a secret clearance with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  Recruited as a “change agent” to provide leadership, management, and training.  Significant interaction with elected officials and community leaders.  Credited with increasing community policing efforts and cooperation with stakeholder groups.
    • Created proactive enforcement units including four police canines. Department was regarded as one of the most respected in the region with an extremely high morale and community support.  Improved productivity in all areas and in some arrest categories by more than 150%.  Department received significant asset forfeiture funds.
    • Secured several millions of dollars’ worth of grants and gained approval for new state-of-the-art, county-wide trunked radio system. Assisted administering a $12 million budget.

 

    • Diverse background as a professional law enforcement manager ranging from a patrol officer, drug interdiction officer, undercover assignments, fifteen years as a supervising investigator specializing in violent felonies and computer-based crime and a supervisor with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis for over 20 years. Member of the United States’ Attorney’s Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee.
    • Advisory Council’s Law Enforcement Committee for the St. Louis Area Regional Response System and St. Louis Area Terrorism Response System. Past Director of the Metro-East Regional Computer Crime Enforcement Group.  Statewide Police Perjury Task Force – appointed by the Governor (homicide investigations) and St. Clair County Child Advocacy Center Board of Directors.  Participated in the Fairview Heights, Glen Carbon, Shiloh and Gulf Shores Police Departments’ Promotional Boards (and many more).
    • Overall local tactical commander for three separate visits by the President of the United States. On scene tactical and administrative commander for several instances of barricaded murder suspects, hostage situations, suicide by cop, jail disturbances, and large civil protests/disturbances.  Operational manager for active shooter live practice sessions involving numerous schools, colleges and universities.
    • Made national and international news, Discovery ID, A&E Channel, 60 Minutes, Lifetime Original Movie (and numerous others) for obtaining a confession from a high school teacher who thought he killed a student. After thirty hours in the woods, we found her alive and saved her life.  (Suspect -Samson Shelton)

Over 50 Awards of Excellence ranging from Deputy of the Year granted by the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department to command awards from the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office, US Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations and many local civic and community groups.

Member of the FBI National Academy Association (MO and IL), Southern Illinois Police Chiefs’ Association (President), ASSIST Board for SILEC, Fraternal Order of Police, International Homicide Investigators’ Association, International Police Association, Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, National Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, and the Swansea Rotary Club.

Captain CJ Beyersdorfer

Captain CJ Beyersdorfer was born and raised in Fairview Heights. He started his Law Enforcement career in January of 1991 as a Juvenile Corrections Officer for St. Clair County.  In June of 1991, Captain Beyersdorfer became a member of the Fairview Heights Police Department as a Community Service Officer.  In January of 1994, he was hired as a Police Officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.  While there, Captain Beyersdorfer was initially assigned to the North Patrol Division as a uniformed officer.  During his tenure there, he had a variety of assignments to different divisions, to include Asset Forfeiture, Homicide and Traffic before ultimately being assigned to the North Patrol Division as a Detective.

In September of 1998, Captain Beyersdorfer left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and returned to the Fairview Heights Police Department as a Police Officer.  While in patrol, he had a variety of assignments and accomplishments, such as being a Field Training Officer/Coordinator, Department Armorer, Hotel/Motel Unit, and a Use of Force Instructor.  He received several awards while in patrol, to include the Life Saving Award, Officer of the year (1999), Community Service Award, and the ACE Award (five times).  In November of 2007, Captain Beyersdorfer was promoted to Sergeant.  He was assigned a patrol shift where he served until 2010 when he was assigned as a Sergeant to the Criminal Investigations Division.  In December of 2013, Captain Beyersdorfer was promoted to Lieutenant.  During his tenure as a Lieutenant, he was assigned to every Division- Patrol, Support Commander and the Administrative Lieutenant.

In July of 2019, Captain CJ Beyersdorfer was promoted to Deputy Chief (Captain)

Divisions

Patrol Division

The core mission of the Fairview Heights Police Department is carried out by our Patrol Division officers. Every other division and unit in the Police Department, including the Chief of Police and administrators, are there to support what Patrol does day in and day out.

Patrol officers are counted on by this community to:

· Respond to emergency calls for help;

· Act as keepers of the peace;

· Investigate and report on crimes and incidents;

· Make arrests as needed;

· Enforce traffic laws and investigate traffic accidents;

· Patrol neighborhoods and businesses to prevent and detect crime.

The Patrol Division is made up of 28 officers, divided into 4 teams. Each team is led by a patrol sergeant. The teams work 12-hour shifts.  Each team is assigned to work together on the same shift for a full year.

Patrol officers work a variation of days and nights, with the main hours starting at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.  On the day shift, the team consists of the sergeant and six officers. On the night shift, the teams are made up of a sergeant and five officers.  The city is split into four districts; district one  encompasses the area from Old Collinsville Road to Rt 159.  The Mall and surrounding property is its own business district with one officer assigned on a daily basis.  District two runs from Rt 159 to Union Hill Road, and district 3 the remaining area of the city to the west.  Officers are assigned calls by district with roam cars to fill in while district cars are busy.  Officers work as a cohesive unit to provide safety to each other and to our citizens and visitors.  Officers rotate districts every two weeks, so that officers are familiar with each area of the city.

Criminal Investigations Unit

The Fairview Heights Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division supports the other divisions of the department by conducting follow-up investigations of reported criminal activity and if warranted presenting cases to the St. Clair County States Attorney’s office for prosecution. Detectives review preliminary investigations conducted by patrol officers and then interview victims, witnesses, and suspects. Personnel assigned to the unit possess special knowledge and skills in interviewing, crime scene processing, interpersonal communication, and constitutional issues such as search and seizure. Detectives within the division are members of the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis and the Child Death Investigations Task Force.

The division is comprised of a Division Commander, Detective Sergeant, and eight sworn officers. Four of the officers serve as detectives investigating general criminal activity that has occurred within the city of Fairview Heights. One officer serves as the juvenile detective primarily investigating crimes and civil matters involving persons under the age of eighteen.  Three officers are on special assignment with outside law enforcement agencies. One officer is assigned to the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois, which investigates street-level drug crimes that occur within a multi-county area. Another officer is assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) task force.  This task force investigates drug offenses that are of a larger scale and fall under federal jurisdiction.  The department also belongs to the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, which primarily investigates auto theft within St. Clair and Monroe Counties.  The task force is staffed by officers from ten agencies.

SUPPORT SERVICES & Fees

 

 

Records

Our Records Department, staffed by two civilian employees, is responsible for the overall processing, maintenance and digitizing of department records and reports. This includes all reports pertaining to crimes, accidents, arrest records, traffic citations and warning tickets. The Records Department is responsible for the preparation of the monthly Illinois Uniform Crime Report. They provide assistance to citizens and law enforcement agencies as necessary.

Our records and civilian staff also perform many services to the public, which are listed below:

Fingerprinting Services

  • Person requesting fingerprinting services must live in Fairview Heights
  • Person requesting fingerprinting services must provide a valid photo ID at the time fingerprints are taken
  • This is a walk-in service, available 24/7(There may be a short wait time depending upon staff availability)
  • Fingerprint cards are provided at no cost; however, please bring them with you if you have been provided themDifferent states/companies have different requirements and we only have a standard fingerprint card available
  • Fingerprints are only able to be processed in ink at this time
  • There is no fee for this service
  • If you have questions, you may contact dispatch at 618-624-4545 or the Civilian Police Aide on duty at 618-489-2172

        Report Requests (non-FOIA)

        • You must be listed in the report to obtain a copy of it
        • Reports are available approximately seven to ten days after they are taken(You may check on the report’s availability after three days by calling CSO Cindy Fietsam at 618-489-2173 or Records Clerk Phoebe Hagelstein at 618-489-2174)
        • To obtain a copy of your report in person, you must provide the appropriate payment and a valid photo ID
        • To obtain a copy of your report via mail, you must send in a request along with the appropriate payment and a copy of your valid photo ID to Fairview Heights Police Department, Attention: Records Department, 10027 Bunkum Road, Fairview Heights, Illinois 62208
        • If you call ahead, the report can be ready for you upon arrival, thus reducing wait time
        • The Records Department is staffed Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
          • Any report requests made after 3:30 p.m. may have to wait until the next business day for processing depending upon staff availability
          • After-hours report availability is available on a case-by-case basis, and you must call the Records Department during normal business hours to arrange for pickup.
          • Reports cost $5 for each copy of the report
          • Fees are payable by exact cash, check, money order, or credit card

        Background Checks

        • You must provide a valid photo ID to the Records Clerk
        • The Records Department is staffed Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
          • Any requests made after 3:30 p.m. may have to wait until the next business day for processing depending upon staff availability
          • There is no fee for this service

             Property Retrieval

            • Typically, available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
              • After-hours pick-up arrangements may be made on a case-by-case basis
              • Please call ahead to make arrangements to pick up your property
                • You may contact dispatch at 618-624-4545 and ask for evidence or you may call Investigative Assistant Tina Bangaru at 618-489-2135
                • You may have to wait to pick up your property, depending upon the reason we have it
                • A valid photo ID must be presented to obtain your property
                • A valid FOID card is required if picking up a firearm
                • If you wish for someone else to pick up your property, you must make arrangements ahead of time to do so

                Offender Registrations

                • Available 24/7
                  • There may be a wait depending upon staff availability
                  • For questions, please contact CSO Cindy Fietsam at 618-489-2173, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

                  Bond Information

                  • The Administrative Bond Fee is $20 per bond, not per arrestee
                    • This is in addition to the actual bond amount
                    • All persons providing bond money for an arrestee must provide a valid photo ID
                    • Bond is accepted 24/7
                    • Cash is the only acceptable form of payment

                    Tow Release Information (non-lienholder)

                    • The registered owner must provide authorization to obtain the tow release
                    • This may be done in person, with a photo ID
                    • A notarized letter may be sent with a representative picking up the vehicle; however, it must be the original notarized letter (no photocopies accepted)
                    • Vehicles will only be released to someone with a valid driver’s license
                    • Valid proof of insurance must be shown for the vehicle at the time of release
                    • Proof of ownership of the vehicle is required
                    • The fee of $150 or $400 (as indicated on the Towed Vehicle Report) must be paid at the time of release
                    • This fee is separate from the tow fee
                    • This fee is payable by cash or credit card*
                    • Tow releases are available 24/7

                    Tours

                    • Tours are available for individuals or groups
                    • Tours are available seven days a week, morning through evening
                    • The tour does include the jail facility and as such, no weapons of any kind (including pocket-knives) or contraband (cigarettes, vape pens, etc.…) will be allowed for safety purposes
                    • We ask that you kindly leave these at home or in your vehicle
                    • Cameras are allowed on the tour
                    • There will be several photo opportunities
                    • To schedule a tour, please contact Administrative Assistant Amber Hopkins at 618-489-2158 or Investigative Assistant Tina Bangaru at 618-489-2135
                    • There is no fee for this service

                    Medication Drop-Box

                    • There is a medication drop-box in the lobby for expired/unused medication
                    • No liquids are allowed
                    • No needles/sharp objects are allowed
                    • The drop-box is accessible 24/7
                    • There is no fee for this service

                    * All credit cards must be presented in-person – no phone payments accepted.  The name on the credit card must match the person wishing to use it.  Debit cards are accepted, as long as they can be run as a credit card.

                    Honor Guard

                    In April of 2008, the Police Department formed its first Honor Guard unit. The Honor Guard unit was established to serve as official ambassadors of the Police Department for fallen police officer/firefighter funerals, ceremonial presentations and indirectly for recruitment purposes.

                    Former Chief of Police Edward Delmore called upon an old friend, Darrin DeCoster, of the Fairfax County Va. Police Department to help the unit during its formation. DeCoster was a member of the Army Old Guard and also served as a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. DeCoster instructed the unit on drill moves, hand movement, flag etiquette, rifle and flag presentations, and posture.

                    Before the first week of instruction was over, Former Chief Delmore arranged for the Honor Guard to present the colors during the National Anthem for the 2008 St. Louis Cardinal’s opening game. Since that time, the Honor Guard has been requested to present the colors at several events including SWIC Police Academy graduations, the FHPD senior and youth academies, the St. Louis Blues Hockey Team Heroes night, Grace Church Memorial Day celebration, the Guns & Hoses Police vs. Firemen boxing match, the Southern Illinois Police Chief Association & Southern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission annual training seminar. They have participated in the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Memorial and Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Springfield, Illinois, along with a number of fallen police officer funerals. 

                    The Honor Guard currently consists of 10 sworn officers.

                    Monthly Crime Stats

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                    Fairview Heights Police Department