Veteran Mount Prospect police deputy chief to retire

Longtime Mount Prospect Police Department member and current Deputy Chief of Field Operations Robert L. Rzepecki has announced his retirement from the department after nearly 24 years of service. Deputy Chief Rzepecki's retirement will be effective May 13. He held a number of specialty positions over the course of his career; including: evidence technician, bomb and arson investigator, youth officer and field training officer.

He joined the Mount Prospect Police Department in 1986 after serving as a police officer in the communities of Winnetka and Cary.

Earlier in his career, Rzepecki was instrumental in the formation of the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT), a regional violent crimes mutual aid task force comprised of many northwest suburban law enforcement agencies, the Cook County Sheriff's Police and the Illinois State Police.

Rzepecki received the "Officer of the Year Award" twice (1992 and 1993) and "Officer of the Year Runner-Up" honors on three occasions (1988, 1991 and 1994) and was selected twice as "Officer of the Quarter." He also earned the Cook County Sheriff's Medal of Honor, the Major Case Assistance Team Investigator of the Year award and FBINAA Northern Illinois Chapter Member of the Year Award.

He held positions including: patrol officer, investigator, patrol sergeant, sergeant of investigations, patrol commander, commander of investigations and operations commander.

He is a 1996 graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety's School of Police Staff and Command and a 2004 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.

He is active in the FBI National Academy Associates, having served as president of the organization's Northern Illinois Chapter and at the State level for this prestigious organization.