Lisle's new chief of police hired from within

Kevin Licko has been promoted within the Lisle Police Department to become the village's new chief of police.

Licko was sworn in Monday during a ceremony at the village board meeting. Licko had been serving as interim police chief after his predecessor, Ron Wilke, retired this past February.

Licko previously served as Lisle's deputy chief of administration, which included being the department's public information officer.

"I'll still be the PIO here in Lisle, at least for the time being, until we figure out who is going to be the deputy chief," Licko said. "I'm serving two roles for the price of one now."

One of Licko's first actions as police chief was to share a news release showing arrests and citations in April as part of "Distracted Driving Awareness Month." Licko reported that Lisle police issued 60 hands-free law violations to motorists who were not using hands-free mode on their mobile phones while driving.

Licko has also been advocating for the introduction of the Denver Boot as a Lisle policing tool for a forthcoming "Vehicle Immobilization Program." It is to help Lisle police collect unpaid tickets for parking violations.

"I want to ensure that Lisle remains a safe and welcoming community," Licko said. "We will continue to focus on traffic enforcement to remain true to our top priority, life safety. We have seen a significant increase in traffic-related deaths over several years, and we remain committed to ending that disturbing trend."

Licko started with the Lisle Police Department in 2004. He has worked in positions including patrol officer, field training officer, detective and patrol sergeant. He also helped to expand Lisle's emergency operations center.

Before serving Lisle, Licko worked as a 911 police and fire dispatcher for five years with the Franklin Park Police Department.

Licko said he would like to continue giving Lisle officers the latest training and access to the best technology to prevent and solve crimes.

"I want to be as transparent as possible," Licko said. "A village the size of Lisle is not legally required to have body cameras until 2025. However, I would like to get them sooner to increase transparency and show the residents of Lisle all the great things Lisle officers do."