Gilberts to hire Rolling Meadows police chief

Barely a month after announcing his retirement, Rolling Meadows Police Chief Steven Williams says he has accepted a new job.

Williams, who formally steps down in Rolling Meadows in January, will be Gilberts' new police chief - pending the board's approval on Nov. 10.

Williams beat out 48 applicants screened by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and was among three finalists interviewed by the Gilberts village board, according to a news release.

"We were most impressed by Chief Williams' 40 years of experience, exceptional leadership and commitment to service," Gilberts Village President Rick Zirk said in a statement. "We're looking forward to Chief Williams contributing his wisdom and skills to our police department's efforts."

On Saturday, Williams said he changed his mind after his retirement plans were announced in late September. At that time, he said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

"I was going to retire and decided not to. I honestly think that I have an awful lot to give to law enforcement, and I'm too young to retire," the 61-year-old police chief added.

If confirmed, Williams would start on Dec. 1, likely using vacation days for his remaining month on the clock in Rolling Meadows. In Gilberts, he would replace Mike Joswick, who served as police chief for 13 years before the village board, citing philosophical differences, demoted Joswick to lieutenant in July.

Many Gilberts residents rallied around Joswick and said his demotion was purely political - a charge village board members denied. Joswick supported then-incumbent Village President Tom Wajda during his re-election campaign this year.

Wajda lost to Zirk, who joined with two new trustees and one incumbent in voting 4-3 to demote Joswick.

Williams said he's not concerned about stepping into the politically touchy situation in Gilberts.

"I don't know of any organization that doesn't have some controversy and some challenges," Williams said. "You get people stuff in any organization, because that's what organizations are full of."

He did pledge to work with Joswick and rely on the former chief's knowledge of Gilberts, saying: "It is exactly what I intend to do."

Williams would earn $80,000 as Gilberts' chief, while also drawing from a pension he's accrued through a law enforcement career that included 26 years on the Lombard force. He declined to disclose the size of his pension or offer further details of his new contract because it has not yet been approved.

"Some people would say I'm double-dipping - but I earned it," said Williams, who has been Rolling Meadows' chief for 11 years and also spent three years as police chief in downstate Macomb.

Williams, a Palatine resident, said he hasn't decided how long he would serve as Gilberts' police chief.

"A lot will depend on whether or not the department is comfortable with me - and whether or not there's work to be done," Williams said. But he acknowledged that, given his age, his time with Gilberts "is limited."