Bartlett names Kent Williams police chief

Acting Bartlett Police Chief Kent Williams officially got the job on Friday when Village Administrator Valerie Salmons announced that she has appointed him to the top post.

Williams, 47, became the acting chief in February, when former Chief Dan Palmer left to become the director of emergency services for Hanover Township.

“He was the obvious person and certainly the right choice,” Salmons said, adding that there was no need for a job search because of Williams’ education, training and expertise. “He’s moved through the ranks and prepared himself well to become chief. I was pleased that I had someone right here in Bartlett that I could appoint.”

Williams has been with the Bartlett Police Department for 26 years, joining the force in 1985 as a patrol officer, moving up to sergeant in 1993 and then to commander in 2002. He has served as deputy chief of operations since 2005. He is well respected in the field and has a lot of ideas on how best to operate the department, Salmons said.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management from Aurora University and will receive his master’s degree in organizational leadership from Judson University later this year. He also is completing a master’s in law enforcement at Western Illinois University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Senior Management Institute for Police taught by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He serves as a tactical commander on a regional SWAT team serving 60 Chicago-area suburbs. In addition, Williams has been an instructor at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy since 2000, specializing in use of force, weapons and tactics. He’s a member of Bartlett’s Character Counts! Coalition, the Bartlett Chamber of Commerce and the Bartlett High School Booster Club.