Villa Park welcomes new police chief

A veteran police officer and administrator has become Villa Park's newest police chief.

Villa Park officials said Michael Rivas began his permanent position as the village's police chief on Dec. 21. He previously served as police chief in Sleepy Hollow.

Rivas has more than 30 years of professional experience. He spent 29 years with the Wood Dale Police Department, where he began working as a patrol officer. During his tenure in Wood Dale, Rivas served as a police investigator and sergeant/watch commander and deputy chief.

Rivas earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's of public administration degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is a graduate of the University of Louisville-Southern Police Institute.

He lives in Lombard with his wife and children.