'This was my dream job': Naperville Chief Marshall reflects on 44-year career
Retired Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall isn't sure when it'll hit him - the realization that his law enforcement career is over.
He's grown accustomed to the fast pace of a paramilitary lifestyle, to never being off the grid, to always making the job a priority. And if he's being honest, the idea of slowing down and stepping aside made Marshall a bit anxious in the final week of his 44-year tenure with the city.
"This was my dream job," Marshall said while reflecting on his career on June 28, five days before his retirement.
Settling into a chair in an office that would soon belong to his interim successor, he glanced at the awards and accolades that still hung on the walls; the Chicago Cubs decor that he had been gifted over the years; the newspaper articles, photographs and mementos that would be packed up and carried out of the department where he spent the bulk of the last four decades.
Marshall thought back to the lives he's saved, the crimes he's solved, the sacrifices he and his family have made, the changes he's initiated within the force, the impact he's had on the community.
Only one word could sum up how he was feeling: Bittersweet.
"It's probably going to be three to four weeks down the road - I don't know where I'll be - and all the sudden it's going to hit me that I'm not on vacation, that this journey has concluded," Marshall said.
Opportunities
Much has changed since Marshall was hired as a Naperville beat cop in 1977, he said, from the size of the community to the structure of the department to the technology used in law enforcement.
Two years earlier, Marshall had been offered a position as a Will County sheriff's deputy after three months of working security at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. He studied criminal justice at Western Illinois University and "fell in love with the study of the law," he said, so he jumped at the county's offer to send him to the Police Training Institute in Champaign.
Marshall gained valuable experience as a sheriff's deputy, patrolling the 850-square-mile Will County, working in the jail, frequently responding to felonies and often taking the lead on calls.
But as someone who is always thinking ahead, Marshall had a feeling he would be afforded more opportunities in a municipal department - especially in a community as fast-growing as Naperville.
The city had no more than 45,000 residents when he first joined the force, less than one-third of its population today. It resembled a small farming community, Marshall said, where "everyone pretty much knew each other" and the land south of 75th Street was primarily cornfields.
Then in the 1980s and 90s, subdivisions began popping up and commercial development boomed.
"The growth was unbelievable," he said, and the city was hiring 10 to 12 police officers at a time to keep up.
Sure enough, that meant a "tremendous amount of opportunities" for Marshall's career.
He became a detective, then worked in undercover narcotics and helped form the countywide DuPage Metropolitan Enforcement Group.
He was selected as a sergeant and moved up the ranks to lieutenant, igniting his passion for leadership. He worked as a watch commander and gained administrative experience as the department's first accreditation manager.
Three years later, Marshall was promoted to captain, and that's as far as he went - "at least for a while."
City hall
By 2005, Marshall was ready for his next challenge.
Naperville's top cop at the time, David Dial, was nowhere close to retiring, Marshall said, so he worked with a recruiter to search for chief positions elsewhere. There was only one problem.
"There are no other Napervilles out there," the recruiter told him, growing frustrated with Marshall's discontent at the job postings she sent his way.
Then he was approached by City Manager Peter Burchard about an assistant city manager position that had just been vacated. Moving over to city hall wasn't something Marshall had considered before, but he gave the role some thought and threw his hat in the ring.
Accepting the job meant he had to retire from the police department, hand over his badge and gun, and adjust to a life outside of law enforcement that involved managing the budget and responding to the city council. The responsibilities intensified when Burchard later resigned and Marshall was appointed city manager pro tem for what he thought would be two to three months.
He held the position for more than a year, he said, during which the city faced staffing and budget cuts amid the recession and a lawsuit filed by a council member.
"It was like conflict and chaos immediately upon getting into that job, but I learned a lot," said Marshall, who returned to assistant manager after current Manager Doug Krieger took the reins.
A few years later, Dial announced he was retiring as police chief, prompting Krieger to ask Marshall if he was interested in returning to law enforcement.
It took him all but a second to say, "absolutely."
Dream job
In 2012, 37 years after starting his career, Marshall had secured his dream job in the town his family called home.
He was determined to make a difference.
Right away, he scoured officer surveys and analyzed lawsuits filed against police to pinpoint areas of focus.
He met with residents, city officials and members of the department whose input helped crystallize his priorities: Shift the culture of the organization, make some structural and personnel changes, and upgrade training and equipment for officers.
Marshall launched a peer support program and implemented mandatory crisis debriefings to help police cope with the stress and trauma of their jobs. Creating more mental health resources has been a goal of his ever since a Naperville sergeant committed suicide years ago.
"It tore this department apart," Marshall said. "We have to take care of our own."
He managed significant turnover as veteran officers retired, making way for a younger department.
He navigated frequently changing technology and its effect on the job.
And most importantly, he says, he believes he has prepared the leadership team for success long after he's gone.
Two years ago, Marshall sat down with his family and decided he would retire in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and changes within the department delayed his timeline. It wasn't until Memorial Day Weekend of this year - after talking with friends and reading up on how chiefs prepare for retirement - that he made his final decision. July 2 would be his last day.
Now retired, he's ready to spend more time with family, reconnect with friends he hasn't seen in a while, and finally go off the grid.
He'll probably do some consulting work, book a few trips, and fulfill some dreams that have fallen by the wayside.
That won't change his passion for law enforcement.
"It's still a very honorable profession, and that's why I got into it," Marshall said.
"We as police officers, all of us, have made tremendous impacts on people's lives."