Stewart hits the ground running as East Dundee's new deputy chief of police

As she wrapped up her first day as East Dundee's new deputy chief of police, Schenita Stewart filled her mental to-do list.

Near the top was tracking down an East Dundee Police Department patch for her niece.

"I let (Police Chief George Carpenter) know I have to answer to a 3-year-old," Stewart said with a laugh.

Then the call came in that there'd been a shooting in town, something unusual for the quiet neighborhoods of East Dundee. Instead of heading home at the end of her shift, Stewart jumped into investigation mode - her expertise after 14 years with the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force - and joined her new team in handling the crime scene.

For Carpenter, the decision to hire Stewart paid off immediately.

"Schenita brings years of experience in investigating major crimes and in police leadership to the (East Dundee Police Department)," he said.

Stewart's hiring was announced on Jan. 8 and her first day was the following Monday, ending a lengthy process to replace Mike Governale, who retired in May. Stewart spent the bulk of her 21 years in law enforcement in Lincolnwood, southwest of her hometown of Evanston, the last 2½ years as deputy chief of police.

Her desire to change departments came down to the atmosphere in East Dundee.

"The small-town feel attracted me," Stewart said. "You have more engagement with the community. Everyone's extremely friendly, just even walking in the downtown area."

The job settled down since that eventful first day, allowing Stewart to dig deeper into the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. In terms of her goals moving forward, nothing's changed since the day she started in law enforcement.

"It's nice having the experience and extensive education but no matter what job you're in, it all comes down to mutual respect between individuals," she said. "Being raised with that background has gotten me far in life."