Lisle picks 24-year veteran as new police chief

A 24-year veteran of the Lisle Police Department, Ron Wilke, is on the verge of becoming the village's next police chief.

His appointment by Mayor Chris Pecak was announced Wednesday and is expected to be confirmed when the village board meets Monday. He will replace Dave Anderson, who retired in October after 28 years with the department.

His swearing in ceremony will be March 2, at which time he officially will take command of the department of 50 employees, including 37 sworn officers.

Wilke came to Lisle in 1996 as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks to serve as administrative sergeant, detective sergeant, community policing sergeant, watch commander, deputy chief of administration, deputy chief of operations and most recently as acting chief. He also served as the department's public information officer for the past 15 years.

His selection comes after a national search led by the GovHR USA executive recruitment firm that included candidates from 12 states and 45 applicants from Illinois alone, officials said in a news release.

During the interview process, Wilke said he told officials they were likely to meet many qualified people, "but they would be hard-pressed to find someone with more commitment and passion for the village."

He said his many roles have allowed him to build relationships with many residents and business people and he has been active in several innovative programs, including ongoing work with the Unity Partnership to build better relationships between the department and the minority community.

The selection of a chief from within the Lisle department is nothing new - all of its leaders have come from within the ranks for the past 25 years.

One of his first challenges, Wilke said Wednesday, will be to fill vacancies triggered by seven recent retirements with several more coming up.

Since Wilke assumed the acting chief's role, the department has dealt with several high-profile cases, including the shooting of three current and former state troopers at a cigar lounge and the announcement that authorities had solved a 44-year-old cold case involving the murder of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer of Woodridge, whose body was found along a road in Lisle.

Pecak said Wilke brings a high level of professionalism, experience and leadership.

"He has been part of the fabric of our community and shown an authentic commitment to ensuring Lisle residents and business are able to positively connect with our exceptional police department," he said in a statement

Village Manager Eric Ertmoed said Wilke's management experience "will be vital in the village's continued efforts toward increasing service responsiveness, efficiencies and pursuit of innovations in the department."

A graduate of Illinois State University, Wilke holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's in criminal justice from Chicago State University.

He began his law enforcement career as a probation officer and then worked as a deputy in the DuPage County Sheriff's Office.