Buffalo Grove police sergeants retire after a combined 52 years

A pair of Buffalo Grove police sergeants found themselves in the uncomfortable position of being front and center Monday in the department's training room.

It was a retirement ceremony, but like the officers themselves, it was low-key and businesslike. Until the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

Sergeants Mike Millett and Jim Tomaso have served as watch commanders on the evening shift for more than 10 years. Between the two of them, they have devoted more than 50 years of combined service to the community.

“We've had people retire before,” said Buffalo Grove Police Commander Steve Husak, “but to have two partners retire within days of each other is kind of unique.”

“It's not often that we have two officers in the room that have 52 years experience, and more importantly, 27 years of leadership experience,” said Police Chief Steve Balinski.

And it is their leadership, colleagues said, that will stay long after they leave.

“There was always a level of professionalism and accessibility when you worked with them,” said Dane Bragg, village manager.

Police Commander Jim Newton said their professionalism was contagious. As partners running the shift, they dispatched patrol officers to their assignments and monitored reports. They also served as the face of the village for any service calls that came in after village hall business hours.

“We'd get the greatest call volume,” Tomaso said. “There's something about 3-11 p.m. It's like the bewitching hour.”

Both describe their team of patrol officers and staff as being like family, and it's not a coincidence.

“We share a management style,” Millett said. “We both feel officers respond well to positive reinforcement.”

Both spent the majority of their careers as beat cops, out on the street, meeting residents and protecting them.

“That's my real love,” Millett said.

When he started in 1980, he joined a staff of less than 25 officers patrolling an area that included many farms and even dirt roads. Thirty years later, the department has more than 70 sworn officers.

Millett spent stints working as the police liaison at Buffalo Grove High School, in the juvenile department and in criminal investigations before being promoted to his current job.

“These people are my family,” Millett said. “They're such a professional, friendly group of people that we've been able to maintain a family atmosphere.”

Tomaso attended law school for a time, but never one to sit behind a desk, he entered law enforcement and never looked back.

“Every day brings a new challenge,” he said.

Retiring at a relatively young age of 49 will give him more time with his wife and four children. “I'm looking forward to the times I've missed,” Tomaso said, “like having dinner as a family.”