Here’s who’s been selected for the citizen-led committee to choose DeKalb’s next police chief

DeKALB – It’s been nearly a year and a half since the DeKalb Police Department has had a full time police chief, and that wait will go into February, said DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas, who announced members of a new community-led search committee to help find DeKalb’s next top cop.

That group of community members will lead the search to decide the next police chief, according to a Tuesday announcement from the City of DeKalb. Former Police Chief Gene Lowery retired in May of 2019, and Deputy Chief John Petragallo stepped in as interim but left the department in June of 2020, retiring to pursue a career change. DeKalb Police Cmdr. Bob Redel, who headed up the department’s detective bureau, was selected in June to fill the interim role. It’s unclear whether Redel is also a contender for the chief position.

DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas said during the City Council meeting on Monday the police chief search committee will select the candidates who are interviewed for the position and conduct the lead interviews. The committee members have already added to the job description details about the community and the police department.

“I was listening to the people who ultimately committed to our committee and they agree that we needed to go out with a description of the community," Nicklas said. "So the candidate chooses us as well as we choose them."

Among the community members announced during the Monday meeting include DeKalb Human Relations Commission members Lisa King and John Walker, local landlord Mike Pittsley and retired Sycamore Police Chief Don Thomas, according to a social media post from the city on Tuesday. Earnell Brown, who is part of the local Black Lives Matter movement and founder of the Sir Donald Foundation Inc. that helps empower individuals to be successful citizens after incarceration, is also part of the committee.

Will Heinisch, president of the DeKalb Area Rental Association – along with Monique Bernoundy, assistant vice president of academic diversity, equity and inclusion for Northern Illinois University, and Glenn Roby, advisor for NIU's chapter of Phi Sigma Kappa – also are on the committee.

“You’ll see a theme here,” Nicklas told the City Council during the Monday meeting. “We've talked a lot about this tonight – housing and opportunity – big, big topics for our community right now.”

The candidates selected by the search committee also will be interviewed by multiple panels, including a team of city employees and another made up of law enforcement officers from neighboring departments, Nicklas said. The finalists also will participate in question-and-answer sessions with police department employees.

The community search committee will recommend who should become the new police chief to Nicklas as city manager, he said, and then he will make a recommendation to the City Council.

The update comes after the city changed its police policies meant to emphasize accountability and the city passed a budget that included reorganizing the police department to include a community support services division.

Nicklas said the city paused its search for the next police chief in the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the social justice movement arising, we thought we would suspend it indefinitely so that we could listen to what the community wants,” Nicklas said.

City officials hope to name a new police chief in late February, according to the Tuesday social media post.