Yorkville police sergeant brings passion to the job

Yorkville Police Sgt. Chris Hayes has a passion for helping other people.

“For whatever reason, I just kind of had that passion for wanting to serve and to help people out and to be there when people need somebody,” Hayes said about why he wanted to become a law enforcement officer.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that he and other members of the Yorkville Police Department were honored at a recent Yorkville City Council meeting for their lifesaving efforts in responding to a woman who was suicidal and had cut herself.

Hayes, 43, has been with the department since 2008. Before that, he worked for the Plano Police Department.

“His eagerness, drive and unwavering honesty earned my utmost respect.”

—  Chief James Jensen, Yorkville Police Department

Hayes still has that same drive and passion as when he first started in law enforcement. Next year will mark 20 years of being in law enforcement.

“I still love the job,” he said. “I still love working as a police officer. It’s something that I’m very passionate about. I honestly don’t have a negative thing to say about it. It’s been a great career for me.”

Yorkville Police Chief James Jensen admires Hayes’ passion for the job. He met him when he was assigned to a countywide task force.

“From the outset, it was clear that Chris was a go-getter, always ready to tackle any challenge head-on,” Jensen said. “His eagerness, drive and unwavering honesty earned my utmost respect. Beyond his exemplary work at the Yorkville Police Department, I’ve come to respect him immensely for the person he is outside of work, a devoted father and husband. Chris’ dedication to family shines through, surpassing even his passion for the law enforcement profession.”

Hayes has worked his way up through the ranks. He has taken on different duties over the years, including school resource officer for Yorkville Community Unit School District 115.

He loved the respect that students showed him.

“They want to know what you do and what you’re about,” Hayes said. “They want to be friends with you and they want to talk to you about what stuff you’ve done and things that you’ve handled. It was a great experience for me.”

The department is embracing new technology. That includes using drones to look for someone who has gone missing. The department has two drones.

“I could throw a drone up in the air and it will be able to pick your heat signature up from the air,” Hayes said. “We’ve actually located people using our drone. You can do so many things with them.”