Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller works hard to keep residents informed about matters important to their safety. Recent emails he’s sent include warnings about scams targeting older people and alerts when extreme weather could threaten those who are at risk.
The chief sent a message late in January about another threat, advising in the subject line “we are here for you.”
Annual research conducted by officers indicated “a nationwide wave of eager, energetic dealers of highly addictive substances who will soon be circulating in our area,” the email cautioned. “These substances are distributed by strong, smart, fearless young women who will lure you in with their good-cause story and get you hooked. Many people start with just one box, but one turns into two, two turns into five, and the next thing you know, you’re hiding your stash in your freezer.”
The “stash” is well-known to those who patronize these so-called dealers, and typically goes by names such as Thin Mints, Lemon-Ups, Caramel deLites and Tagalongs.
To mitigate any damage, Miller’s note urged residents to drop off these goods at the Palos Park Police Department, where officers will “dispose of them safely.”
The most popular item — and therefore considered the most dangerous — is Thin Mints. But Chief Miller, who is among the brave officers willing to risk exposure to the addictive treats sold each year by Girl Scouts, said he prefers the shortbread cookies known as Trefoils.
Miller was exposed early to Girl Scout Cookies. He grew up in the Beverly/Mount Greenwood area, which had “a lot of city workers, so kids were involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts,” he said. “It was a regular occurrence for girls knocking on the door and selling them.”
He and his wife have continued the family tradition of buying Girl Scout cookies. “Even though she’s not a big sweets eater, she does indulge in those and brings them to her (medical) office,” he shared.
His officers buy the cookies as well. “We look forward to them, but we also like to preach moderation. We’re big believers that it’s important for the officers to maintain their physical abilities and go to the gym. So enjoy them but in moderation,” he said.
But moderation can be tough. Each year, about 10 boxes of assorted Girl Scout cookies are brought for “disposal” at the department.
“We end up getting them dropped off by anonymous donors every year — people who buy a sizable amount,” Miller said. Police Commissioner Dan Polk “sets up a drop-off station on the dais (of the meeting room) where people can drop off. … They are shared, mostly among the staff,” he added, if any are left after the board meeting.
But even the department has its own “dealers” to worry about.
“Of course we have some of our village staff … who have kids who sell them as well. They leave the forms out in the break room. … With the senior staff and the directors, it’s incumbent upon us to support our staff members,” Miller said with a chuckle.
Tricia Ponick, a Girl Scout leader with Troop 65809 for the past 10 years and founder of the BCA Hub Youth and Resources Center and Beautiful Disaster Emergency Response Center in Burbank, knows the allure of the cookies all too well. She said she promises herself she will only grab two cookies, “and then I go back for one more.”
“I wish I knew what the magic thing is inside there,” she said. “You can’t say no to them, especially if you find one that you like. … If you have one Thin Mint, it’s like a bad addiction.”
She’s noticed the “addiction” is widespread, particularly in one segment of the population.
“Pregnant women are looking everywhere for what they want,” Ponick said. “We’ll get moms who call and say ‘You have a troop. What do you have on hand?’ It’s funny.”
She can’t quite explain the attraction, although she has an idea about a contributing factor: “People buy into the adorableness of the girls selling them and they’re hooked on that cookie,” she said.
Ponick, whose daughter Livy, is 12, bought 20 boxes this year, split between Thin Mints, Adventurefuls, Do Si Does and Trefoils, which her mom prefers. But thanks (mostly) to her three boys, 30, 21 and nearly 14, she has to hide them.
“Otherwise they’d eat them,” she said.
Cookie sales began in mid-December, with the first round finishing Jan. 15. Digital sales for individual Scouts still are open. In early February, troops will start selling cookies via tables set up at area businesses, such as grocery stories and drugstores.
Those who give in and buy bunches of boxes can take consolation that not only are they feeding their sugary desires, they’re contributing to a good cause.
The price per box of cookies has gone up from $5 to $6. But Ponick said Scout groups earn a dollar per box for their personal fund, allowing the girls to participate in lots of activities instead of having to stick with free experiences. The money goes toward such events as sleepovers at the Field Museum, camping outings and trips to the Morton Arboretum.
“We don’t charge a troop fee. Our girls come from mixed incomes so their families can’t afford a lot of things,” she shared. “The Council will use money to help buy things like our uniforms.”
In addition to helping pay for activities, cookie sales help Scouts gain business skills and confidence.
“We guide them, but we let them do all their work. It’s nice in cookie season with advance sales because you can just send out a link. But the cookie season is a whole process for them,” Ponick said.
Those who love the cookies might be interested to know people have created lots of ways to consume them.
“There are a ton of recipes to pair them with wine, with beer. Last year we had the girls come up with a recipe and what they could come up with for a pie crust,” Ponicki said. “There are a lot of things you can do with them besides just eating them.”
Ponicki has nothing but praise for the Palos Park Police Department, and the Scouts create comfort kits that police officers give to homeless people.
“They have welcomed my girls like no other police department, and between the Girl Scout troop and my husband, they just want to give them all the love.”
Palos Park’s police officers reciprocate by showing Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts elements of their jobs, such as demonstrations of crime scene processing and evidence retrieval and giving them tours of the station, Miller said. The department’s Cadet program is part of the Explorer Scout program.
Interacting with youngsters is not only good community relations, but sets a good example, Miller said.
“Our goal isn’t to make these girls want to be junior police officers or FBI agents, but how to positively impact peoples’ lives,” he said.
And all kidding aside, Girl Scout cookies are an important part of that effort.
“It’s a great community support program. It gets these young ladies out and interacting with a lot of different people and their program is supported by those Girl Scout cookies sales. It’s by far their biggest endeavor of the year,” Miller said.
Melinda Moore is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
