Huntley police officer becomes deputy chief

A longtime Huntley police officer was promoted to deputy chief Thursday as part of an ongoing effort to reshape the department to better meet the needs of a growing town.

Starting Friday, Mike Klunk, a sergeant who has worked for the department for almost 10 years, will be co-deputy chief with Todd Fulton.

Fulton, formerly the department's sole deputy chief, will now focus on the patrol division, while Klunk will oversee support services, which includes officer training, investigations and the lockup.

"He's doing everything that's not patrol," Police Chief John Perkins said.

One of Klunk's priorities as deputy chief will be to help the department earn national accreditation, a relatively rare distinction that means a police force adheres to professional best practices.

"His job is to bring us over the finish line with that," Perkins said.

Klunk has been a sergeant since 2003 and has worked in police administration since 2005. Klunk graduated from Elgin Community College and served in the Marine Corps Reserves for six years.

Klunk's wife, Anne, pinned his deputy chief's badge on his uniform after he was sworn in at Thursday night's village board meeting.

Klunk said he was excited to play a crucial role in the reorganization of the department.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunities that await me," Klunk said.

Klunk will earn about $90,000 as deputy chief, Perkins said.

As part of the reorganization, patrol officers will be assigned to specific areas of the village, the police chief said.

The department said it hopes to hire three new officers this year, but Village Manager Dave Johnson said the village may have to hold off on the hires because of declining revenues. The department currently has 33 full-time officers.

One of them, Scott Sullivan, was promoted to sergeant on Thursday.