Oswego swears in new deputy police chief

Drew Santa was sworn in as the Oswego Police Department’s new deputy chief of field operations during the Jan. 7 Oswego Village Board meeting.

Santa, who has been on the department for 22 years, replaces deputy chief Chris Biggs, who retired in December from the Oswego Police Department after 26 years of service. Prior to the promotion, Santa had been a patrol commander.

Santa has worked his way through the ranks. He started with the police department in September 2002 and was promoted to the position of sergeant in September 2017.

“He worked as a patrol sergeant and then he actually went to the criminal intelligence team as a sergeant for them as well, so we loaned him out for a little while,” Oswego Police Chief Jason Bastin said.

Santa was promoted to commander in 2023. Bastin revealed that Santa is the longest-serving member of the Kendall County Special Response Team in the history of the team, having served on the team for about 21 years.

The team was formed as a partnership among police agencies in the county. A major part of the team’s responsibilities is to execute search or arrest warrants that the local police agency has deemed potentially dangerous.

During his laws enforcement career, Santa has also been involved with the Kendall County Cooperative Police Assistance Team. The purpose of CPAT is to combat the trafficking of illegal narcotics, controlled substances, dangerous drugs, gun crimes and gang related crimes.

“He was a taser instructor and coordinator and he has even been a truck enforcement officer,” Bastin said. “So he’s earned his keep around here.”