Arlington Heights police chief to retire in August

Longtime Arlington Heights Police Chief Gerald Mourning plans to retire in August, he announced Thursday.

Mourning, who has been at the helm of the police department for 14 years, has spent 42 years in law enforcement, including time as police chief in West Chicago, director of safety for the Milwaukee Public Schools, investigator with the St. Charles Police Department, and a patrolman in East Dundee.

He is only the fifth police chief in the 125-year history of the Arlington Heights department.

In a news release announcing Mourning's upcoming retirement, village officials praised Mourning for helping the village become one of the safest communities of its size in the country, thanks to its lowest-recorded crime rate and a 15-year low in traffic crashes.

The crime rate has dropped 58% and traffic crashes are down 32% during Mourning's tenure, officials said.

“Chief Mourning always invested heavily in the latest crime-fighting techniques and technology, and he leaves an outstanding police department even better than he found it,” said Village Manager Randy Recklaus.

Officials pointed to state and national recognition the department's traffic safety programs received during Mourning's tenure, the recent opening of the new police station, the development of a crisis intervention team and community outreach programs, and the addition of bicycle patrol and three police dog units.

The village has started a search for the next police chief and plans to make a selection before Mourning's last day Aug. 4.