New police chief, deputy chief appointed in Gurnee

A new chapter in leadership for Gurnee police has begun with the appointment of 23-year department veteran Jeremy Gaughan as chief.

Gaughan, who had been serving as deputy chief, officially was promoted and sworn in at Monday's village board meeting. He replaces Brian Smith who retired effective Dec. 1 after more than 25 years with the department.

Also Monday, Cmdr. Jason Kalinowski, who has been with the department since 2008 and excels in community policing, was promoted and sworn in as deputy chief.

Gaughan, who has served Gurnee since 2002, rose through the ranks and included stints as investigator with the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, patrol sergeant, commander of investigations and deputy chief of operations.

He has earned national and international recognition throughout his law enforcement tenure including the International Association of Chiefs of Police “40 under 40” Award as well as the organization’s “Top Cop” Award and Gurnee police Pillar award and Medal of Honor.

“Chief Gaughan is a proven leader whose experience, character and dedication make him the right person to guide the Gurnee police department forward,” Mayor Tom Hood said in a news release.

In addition to 25 years of law enforcement experience, Gaughan had a 22-year military background with the U.S. Army Reserves. He completed two deployments to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, first as a man-portable air defense crew member and later as a counterintelligence special agent.

Military honors include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign starts and the Combat Action Badge.

He retired in 2019 as group sergeant major for the 3100th Strategic Intelligence Group out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

“His commitment to accountability, professionalism and community partnerships reflects exactly what our residents expect and deserve,” Hood said.

Throughout his tenure, Kalinowski has held several positions. He was a founding member and of the Visitor-Oriented Policing Unit in 2012 and in 2016 founded the Shop with a Cop program.

He rose from the patrol division to sergeant, day shift patrol commander, and, for the past three years, investigations commander.