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East Dundee Village Board members this week welcomed a veteran chief to lead the village’s police department.
James Kruger, who most recently served as Oak Brook’s police chief, will join the village as police chief Monday. He replaces East Dundee Police Chief George Carpenter, who is retiring after 49 years in law enforcement; the last four as East Dundee’s police chief.
“It’s been a privilege and an honor for me to serve this community,” Carpenter, who also served as Wilmette’s police chief for 18 years, said after being recognized by village trustees at Monday’s meeting for his service.
During his tenure, Carpenter oversaw the police department’s accreditation through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The department currently is seeking its second ILEAP accreditation. The village also added two additional sergeant positions, giving the police department a sergeant for each of the four shifts.
“I leave knowing that you have a terrific police department that’s been very well trained,” Carpenter said, adding that when he started as chief, the village’s police officers were “terrific already.”
In its search for a new chief, the village received about 20 applications and narrowed the list to five finalists before selecting Kruger, East Dundee Village President Jeff Lynam said.
“I’m very excited to be here in East Dundee,” said Kruger, whose annual salary will be $138,000. “I’m looking forward to getting on board and hitting the ground running.”
A veteran of law enforcement, Kruger served as Oak Brook’s police chief for 10 years. Kruger, 60, of Lakewood, began his career in Carpentersville in 1984, where he rose to the rank of commander before joining the Winfield Police Department as police chief.
He also served as the Roselle police chief from 2006 to 2011 before leading the Oak Brook Police Department. Kruger also served as president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, interim village manager in Oak Brook, an adjunct professor at Elgin Community College and director of criminal justice management/campus security at Judson University.
“We’re excited to have him here,” Lynam said. “He’s a highly decorated officer and well recognized in the community. I think he’s going to be a really good fit for East Dundee.”