Geneva police commander will be city's new chief
Geneva police Cmdr. Stephen Mexin will be Geneva's next police chief.
The promotion was announced Tuesday.
Mexin, 43, will replace Chief William Kidwell, who will retire at the end of July after 35 years with the city.
The new chief was quick to credit Kidwell with running a department "steeped in honesty and integrity."
"He has done such an incredible job creating the fine department we have today. … I just want to make sure I can do whatever I can to continue what he created."
The first of his major tasks, he said, will be handling the chain of personnel changes his promotion causes: promoting someone to commander, and appointing a new detective, among others.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Kevin Burns said: "Commander Mexin's very high standard of professionalism and dedicated performance make him an ideal choice for this important leadership position."
Mexin was hired as a Geneva patrol officer in 1989. He was promoted to patrol sergeant in 1997 and commander in 2002.
Mexin oversees the Police Services Division, including budgeting, community-oriented programs, records management, community service officers and school crossing guards. The department's other branch -- patrol operations -- is overseen by Cmdr. Joseph Frega. He oversees the detective and patrol divisions.
Besides overseeing the two branches, the police chief supervises the traffic safety specialist, the department's secretaries, the field training officer program and the probationary assessment panel.
Mexin, who grew up in Indiana, has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Columbia College of Missouri and has participated in the Criminal Justice Management Program at Aurora University and the FBI National Academy in Virginia. He was in the Army from 1982 to 1986 and on reserve duty from 1986 to 1991.
The police department includes the chief, 35 sworn officers, 12 clerical workers, two community service officers, one civilian worker and 10 school crossing guards.
Burns stated that Mexin "has consistently demonstrated not only a deep insight into the principles of community-oriented programs, but also a sincere commitment to their practice within the community. He is a man of honor who has gained the respect and admiration of the men and women that make up Geneva's outstanding police department based on his leadership skills and his working relationships with all city staff."