Joe Mullin New Chief of Police at College of DuPage
Although Joe Mullin is the new chief of police at College of DuPage, he is a familiar face within the college community.
Mullin has been a member of the COD Police Department since 1999, most recently as deputy chief. He has been part of the many changes that have occurred within the department and on campus during the past decade, and he understands the importance of his new role.
“What we do here is service,” said the Coal City resident. “Our officers provide the best service possible to the community, faculty and staff.”
Mullin earned his bachelor's degree in English from Eastern Illinois University and a master's degree in English from Ball State University. But it was his friendship with a member of the Peoria County Sheriff's Department that helped him decide upon a career.
“He invited me along for a ride-along, and I loved it,” Mullin said. “So I tested for both the Shorewood Police Department and Peoria County Sheriff's Department, and I was hired in Shorewood.”
After attending the Illinois State Police Academy, Mullin spent six years in Shorewood, where he was a community police officer, mountain bike officer and DARE officer. He received two lifesaving awards, both involving incidents in the DuPage River.
When Shorewood hired a new officer who had worked as a student community service officer at College of DuPage, Mullin was intrigued by the school. He looked into part-time work at COD before landing a full-time position in 1999. During the past 12 years, he has witnessed major changes within the department, including the arming of officers, a name change and the massive transformation of the campus, including new offices for the department in the Homeland Security Education Center.
As the chief of police overseeing 15 full-time and eight part-time officers, Mullin would like to develop closer ties with officers from neighboring departments, create more joint training exercises and participate in rapid response training with local police departments.
“I want to make sure we are doing the most effective job possible in serving the College and the community,” he said.