Darien ready to fill police chief vacancy
DARIEN — A patrol commander for an Illinois police department is poised to be the next chief of police in the village of Darien.
The Darien Village Board on Saturday voted unanimously to offer the job to Hunter Gilmore of St. Charles, Ill.
A new chief is expected to start work Oct. 1.
Gilmore works as a patrol commander for the Carol Stream, Ill., Police Department, according to a news release from the village of Darien.
He has 22 years of police experience, the release states.
Gilmore has associates and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice as well as a master’s degree in leadership studies.
He has entered a doctoral program in leadership studies, the release states. He lives in St. Charles, Ill.
The board authorized hiring consultant Moffett & Associates to make the offer to Gilmore after nine hours of interviewing five finalists for the position.
Before he can be hired, Gilmore must pass a psychological test, a medical exam, a drug screen and a background investigation.
He also must negotiate a salary and benefits package.
The village board has authorized Administrator Diana Dykstra to negotiate the package, the release states.
The other finalists were: Robert Meiners, a lieutenant with the Lincolnwood, Ill., Police Department; Terrance Freeman, retired detective from the Woodridge, Ill., Police Department; Daniel Layber, a special agent for the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation; and Richard Kendall, an officer with the Town of Geneva Police Department.
The village has been without a chief since December 2008 when the village board suspended former Chief Steve DeVoy. The board later voted to fire DeVoy, but the decision could not be finalized without a disciplinary hearing.
Before a hearing was scheduled, the two parties settled.
related STORIES
- Like corn and butter, ... (1)
By TODD MISHLER 09/08/11
Sep 1, 2010 at 11:36 a.m.
Suggest removal
MM wasn't qualified for this position.....I'm shocked....NOT! He'll be looking somewhere else now that he was denied the top spot, just like in Orfordville. HHHHMMMM.....lightning DOES strike twice.
Sep 1, 2010 at 2:25 a.m.
Suggest removal
JV--I thought about that, and to an extent it makes sense. On the other hand, there is SUCH a difference in approach to law enforcement between urban/suburban IL cops as compared to Wisconsin's ideas on how cops carry out law enforcement duties. To be sure, there have been a few good--no, excellent chiefs from IL. More often though, there seems to be a lot of IL 'luggage' that comes along with the experience. Not sure IL experience should trump WI law enforcement values. IMOHO.
Aug 31, 2010 at 11:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
Professor, the population of southeastern Wisconsin is less than a third of the population of northeastern Illinois, and the latter includes many larger departments that will have mid-rank officers looking to a small town chief job as a natural step up (because just like Janesville, there are not always opportunities to rise to the top locally).
Aug 31, 2010 at 6:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
That is a good question professor! They all seem to go out of the area for new ChiefS. I think in this case it was a good call as no one from Walworth County wanted to live in Darien or take over that mess! I will bet that with in six months MM will file a lawsuit of some sort! Good Luck to the New Chief!
Aug 31, 2010 at 5:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
I've never met the new guy, nor any of the finalists. But why are Wisconsin municipalities so enamored with cops from IL?
Aug 31, 2010 at 4:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
Hopefully, this will leave Genoa City as the only Walworth community with a soap opera.
Aug 31, 2010 at 4:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
Poor little M.M. didn't get the job. What town will be lucky enough to be next in the path of destruction for his quest to be chief?
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.