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Elgin commander to be police chief in Sycamore

An Elgin police commander was selected to become the new police chief in Sycamore.

Glenn Theriault's appointment will go before the city council Dec. 1, and his first day on the job will be Jan. 5, Sycamore City Manager Brian Gregory said in a news release Friday.

Theriault, 42, will leave his post as operations commander in Elgin, where he's served for 20 years.

"I lived in Sycamore for five years and think of it as one of the most ideal towns," Theriault said. "It was always my desire to move back there some day, and to move back there as chief of police is an incredible opportunity."

The search for a new police chief in Sycamore started in August after Chief Don Thomas announced he'd retire Jan. 2, Gregory said. Theriault stood out among candidates because of his experience, education, training and knowledge of the community, he said.

"Glenn is a demonstrated leader who possesses extensive experience in all aspects of policing," he said. "His communication skills, leadership by example approach and appreciation of the community made him the ideal fit to lead the Sycamore Police Department."

Theriault, who grew up in the Elgin area, has a bachelor's degree in law enforcement administration from Marian University in Wisconsin, and a master's degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University.

He is a graduate of Northwestern University Center for Public Safety's school of staff and command, the International Association of Chiefs of Police's leadership in police organizations program, and the FBI's law enforcement executive program.

He was honorably discharged after serving as an aircrew survival technician in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

Sycamore, a town of about 18,000, has 30 police officers, compared to Elgin's 180 officers and 110,000 residents.

"It's going to be a big shift but what's nice is that Sycamore is a professional department organized much like Elgin," Theriault said.

"While it will be a scaling down for a number of areas of supervision and management, they pride themselves as well in what we pride ourselves, which is community policing - being engaged with the community."

Glenn Theriault Photo courtesy Elgin Police Department
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