Wayne to begin search for new police chief

With the upcoming retirement of Wayne Police Chief John Naydenoff, village officials have set a town hall meeting Jan. 8 for residents to give feedback, according to a news release.

Village officials plan to have a new chief selected by the end of February 2022.

Consultations with former and current police chiefs, law enforcement consultants, attorneys and former state legislators show that the availability of trained police officers is decreasing and the competition between departments is increasing, the release stated.

Recent legislation reduces the willingness of retired officers to work after retirement due to possible loss of their pensions, among other provisions, the release stated.

"These issues make finding a new police chief and replacing the retiring officers much more complicated and involved than if we were just dealing with finding a new police chief in an unchanged public safety environment," the release stated.

"We feel it's important that all residents have the opportunity to learn about these issues, see how they affect Wayne, how they might affect our efforts to find a new police chief and replacement officers as well as how they might affect policing in general in Illinois," the release stated.

In the meantime, the village board is committed to maintaining the police department, and the feedback received so far from residents confirms that preference.

The village plans to hire an outside police consulting firm to provide independent and objective guidance in the hiring process. The consulting firm will review and score applications received that will result in three top finalists for the board to interview before a final selection is made.

The village did the same type of search in 2003, which resulted in the hiring of former chief Dan Callahan, the release stated.

The process starts with the consultant and village drafting a job posting that will focus not only on professional qualifications but also attributes that are important to Wayne.

This posting will then be published in police publications in DuPage and Kane counties, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as other regional chiefs organizations, the release stated.