Arlington Heights officer of the year honored

The Arlington Heights Police Department and Rotary honored Sgt. Michael J. Shabez as 2008 L.W. Calderwood Officer of the Year in a luncheon Thursday at the Wellington of Arlington Restaurant.

Shabez, a 23-year veteran of the department, presently is assigned to the patrol bureau. He was chosen by majority vote of the department's supervisory staff.

Shabez was selected for his work in two areas: securing and managing more than 40 individual grant awards totaling more than $900,000, and successfully managing the department's police accreditation efforts that resulted in the department being awarded its accreditation status in December 2008, officials said in a news release. Shabez has shown leadership and tenacity that have resulted in wide-ranging improvements to operations, the release said.

Shabez graduated from Triton College in River Grove in 1982 with an associate degree in police science. He completed the police academy in 1983 and served three years as a Triton College police officer before joining Arlington Heights. He graduated from Judson University in Elgin in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in management and leadership. He also completed Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command in 1997.

Shabez and his wife Tammy have been married more than 23 years and live in Cary, along with their two sons and three daughters.

The award is sponsored by the Arlington Heights Rotary Club and is named for Bill Calderwood, police chief for 28 years from January 1958 through November 1976.