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Interim East Dundee police chief appointed to permanent role

George Carpenter has been chosen as East Dundee's new police chief after serving in the interim position the last several months.

The village hired Carpenter, 68, in January through staffing firm GovTemps USA to take on the temporary role and conduct an assessment of the department. His predecessor, Terry Mee, retired earlier that month after 11 years.

Carpenter, who has decades of law enforcement experience, has "exceeded expectations" in areas of staff development and leadership, community policing, and fiscal responsibility, Village Administrator Jennifer Johnsen said in a statement.

He was appointed to the permanent position and sworn in Monday. His annual salary is $125,000.

"George's professionalism and general interest in assisting the Village of East Dundee is critical to the police department and village moving forward," Johnsen said. "His expansive career in law enforcement brings a vision for police operations that will be beneficial to the East Dundee community for years to come."

During his time in East Dundee, Carpenter said he has gotten acquainted with the officers, helped to ratify a collective bargaining agreement and offered dozens of recommendations for improvement. His first priority, he said, is to update the police department's written directives, which he compared to a football team's playbook.

"We all want to ensure we're playing from the same policies and procedures," Carpenter said.

Another priority has become more of a personal goal for the department's new leader: Enhance the community's understanding of the ins and outs of the police force.

"Everybody here works so hard," Carpenter said. "Part of my job is better informing the community about the good work being done."

Carpenter previously served as police chief in Wilmette - a position from which he retired in 2009. He also has spent 26 years working as an assessor and team leader for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

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