Grayslake mayor selects new police chief
Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor announced Friday that he wants interim police chief Matthew McCutcheon to receive the job on a permanent basis.
Village board trustees will be asked to ratify Taylor’s recommendation of McCutcheon at a meeting Feb. 7. McCutcheon was elevated from his post as operations commander to temporary chief July 2 after Larry Herzog retired.
“I am pleased to recommend Matthew McCutcheon to the village board based upon his years and depth of experience in policing, his 20 years of dedication to the safety and security of our Village, his familiarity with Grayslake’s innovative financial policies and his extensive involvement with the community,” Taylor said in a statement.
McCutcheon started his Grayslake career as a patrol officer in 1991 after working elsewhere in law enforcement for two years. He worked his way to operations commander in 1998.
Taylor’s decision on McCutcheon culminated an effort that began with the hiring of a search firm in the fall. After an initial 120 applicants, the Deerfield-based Voorhees Associates consulting firm significantly whittled the field for the village.
Grayslake has a department with 33 full- and two part-time sworn employees that also is contracted to serve Hainesville. The chief’s pay is projected at about $130,000, depending on qualifications.
Herzog was Grayslake’s police chief for 13 years when he retired.