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News
Long-time Montgomery police chief to step down : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisLong-time Montgomery police chief to step down
| Schmidt accepts position with Waubonsee; began village career in 1974 as a patrol officer
| by John Etheredge
| 1/28/2010
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Montgomery Police Chief Dennis Schmidt will end his 35 year career with the village police department next month, but he isn't the retiring type.
Schmidt notified village staff last Thursday he will leave the village police department at the end of next month to accept a full-time position as manager of Waubonsee Community College's driver safety program.
Schmidt said Monday it will be difficult to leave the police chief's position.
"I have a career with the village that spans just six weeks short of 36 years and even though I'm taking another career opportunity (at Waubonsee), it's still difficult to leave, especially because I've enjoyed my career here," he said, adding, "I can count on one hand the number of times in all the years I been here when I wasn't excited about going to work or reporting for duty."
Schmidt added, "Law enforcement has been great career for me and the village has been a great place to work."
When he told his two daughters his plans to leave the village, Schmidt said they said they consider many of the village officials and department heads as extended members of their own family.
"One of my daughters was born in 1986 and the other was born in 1990, so they've only know their father as the police chief," Schmidt said. "They haven't known anything else. That feeling of family has made it such a great place to work."
An Aurora native, Schmidt began his career with the village police department in 1974 when he was hired as a patrol officer upon his discharge from the Army where he had served as a medic. At that time, the village had a population of about 4,000 and the police department had about four full-time officers and operated out of a small building at River and Webster streets.
In 1978, Schmidt attained the rank of sergeant and the police department moved into roomier quarters in a former office building at 1160 Southeast River Road (Ill. Route 25), overlooking the Fox River.
The late Village President Stu Johnson appointed Schmidt police chief in September 1981.
Schmidt's tenure with the department paralleled a period of steady growth, especially over the past decade as the village population grew to more than 17,000. To accommodate the village's growing police department, Schmidt played a key role in the planning for a new police station on U.S. Route 30 at Griffin Drive. The facility, designed and sized to accommodate the village's future population growth, was dedicated in 2005.
"I can' say enough about Dennis (Schmidt)," Village President Marilyn Michelini said Tuesday afternoon. "Whoever will become the next police chief here will have some big shoes to fill."
"It's amazing when you have someone who lives and is part of your community over that long period of a time. His contribution has been tremendous. He's always been there, morning, noon or night. Always willing to help," Michelini continued. "I have always had a secure feeling knowing that we have police force and leadership that we can be proud of."
Village board member Robert Watermann said Schmidt's pending departure was not unexpected given his length of service to the village, but he will be sad to see him leave next month.
Referring to Schmidt, Watermann said, "He is an incredibly polished individual with a wealth of experience that is, unfortunately, going to be lost. He has contributed to the village in so many ways and has done just a magnificent job in molding our police department as we continued to grow."
Watermann, who serves as fire chief for the Aurora Township Fire Department, noted that he regularly attends regional law enforcement banquets and has found that Schmidt is "incredibly respected up and down the Fox Valley" by his peers in other police departments.
"Personally, I really respect him and, frankly, I've tried to emulate his patience. He such a fine gentleman and he has all the qualities you like to see in a police chief," Watermann said.
Board member Pete Heinz, a village resident since the early 1970s, noted how much the village has changed and grown since Schmidt was appointed as a patrol officer.
Heinz described the tiny, old police station at River and Webster streets as a "cracker box."
As a resident and board member, Heinz said Schmidt has "always been good to work with."
"He's a real gentleman," Heinz added.
Heinz noted that under Schmidt's leadership, village police have kept criminal activity under control, but also noted that Schmidt was involved in some incidents in which gunfire was exchanged between police and suspects.
Heinz also recalled that Schmidt was on the scene when the Parkview Estates Subdivision flooded in 1972, 1983 and 1996.
"In one of those floods he (Schmidt) did a real good job keeping looters out of the houses," Heinz said. "The looters were coming in on boats trying to take TVs and other stuff out of the houses."
Village president to
appoint next chief
Under village ordinance, Michelini has the authority to appoint a new police chief subject to the approval of the board.
Michelini said she it may take until Sept. 1 before a new police chief is on the job.
In the meantime, Michelini said Deputy Chief Daniel Meyers will serve as acting police chief.
She said a representative of a search firm will make a presentation at the board's next committee of the whole meeting set for Feb. 16.
Michelini noted that board members are not all in agreement on the hiring of a search firm.
"We talked about it Monday night and we need to get more information," she said.
Watermann said he believes the next police chief will inherit a strong police department.
"The foundation has been put in place and right now at this stage I think we are just kind of dealing with the initial shock of his (Schmidt) leaving," Watermann said. "Any time you have a person like Dennis, it's going to be a challenge to replace them. But we certainly will try to find a candidate who can become what he was."
Heinz said he would like to see "someone from within" appointed to the job.
"I think that's only right," he said. "When you have someone who's been on the police department for a real long time it makes sense. There may be hard feelings here and there, but that's too bad. If someone deserves it, they deserve it."
Schmidt said he is looking forward to his new job at Waubonsee March 1.
The program is headquartered in the college's downtown Aurora campus.
One of the college's driver safety program's primary functions is to hold driver safety courses for motorists ticketed for traffic violations, Schmidt said.
In addition, he said the program is also involved in community outreach efforts such as "Alive at 25," a program that was offered to students in the Kaneland School District. The program promotes safer driving habits by teenage motorists and those in their early 20s.
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