Roselle appoints new police chief
A former Woodridge police chief will officially lead the Roselle Police Department after serving as its interim chief since December.
Roselle officials initially appointed Steven Herron as interim chief shortly after former Chief James Kruger resigned to lead Oak Brook’s police department. Herron was sworn into the official post last week and will be recognized at the May 14 village board meeting.
“We found that he fit really well into our community,” Roselle Village President Gayle Smolinski said. “We were fortunate he was available when we needed an interim, and he came from a village of a similar size, where we have a good relationship with their mayor and village manager.”
Herron began his career in Woodridge as a police dispatcher in 1973 and became a patrol officer in 1977. After serving in the roles of sergeant and deputy chief, Herron was appointed the Woodridge police chief in January 2004 and served until his recent retirement.
Herron also remained active on the executive board of the DuPage County Chiefs of Police and serves as chairman of the DuPage Emergency Telephone Systems Board technical and policy subcommittees.
“I had served 38 great years at Woodridge, then I talked with my wife about doing something for the next five, seven or 10 years,” Herron said. “I talked about doing (dispatch) consolidating in the private world, but then I got the call and Roselle seemed like a great department and nice community.”
Herron said former Chief Kruger executed several initiatives that have the Roselle Police Department well positioned, including implementing a community policing model, helping design squad cars and seeking state accreditation.
“What I’m looking to do is tune that up a bit,” Herron said. “But this department is everything I love to do in police work and everything you should do in police work.
Herron has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northwood University, is a graduate from the FBI National Academy, and completed police management training at the Southern Police Institute and Northwestern University.