Round Lake Beach chief retiring after helping police reflect more of suburb's diversity

When former Marine Gilbert Rivera began patrolling a beat in Round Lake Beach 23 years ago, he was among a minority of Latino police officers in the suburbs and the percentage of the town's Hispanic population barely had broken into double digits.

"As the town has become more diverse, so has our police department," said Rivera, 50, who retired Friday after nearly six years as police chief. "We tried to keep up with mirroring our community."

Today, the village's population is more than 50% Hispanic, and one-third of its police force's patrol division is made up of Spanish-speaking officers.

"We have worked very hard on recruiting," said Rivera, who is of Puerto Rican descent and among a handful of Hispanic police chiefs statewide. "Our big push is that we get into the schools ... the community college every chance we get. We will try and mentor kids, even if they are not going to test with us, if they are interested in getting into law enforcement."

Rivera is leaving behind a fully staffed police department with 40 sworn officers, including those of Haitian, Indian and Pakistani descent. Diversifying the ranks is his legacy and a rare accomplishment for a suburban police department.

Rivera said that in the early days, there was a big division between the police force and the Hispanic community, perhaps due to cultural barriers or a lack of trust. Bridging that divide became his mission to reassure the Hispanic community that "we are here to help."

"It has been the greatest honor to serve this community," Rivera wrote on the police department's Facebook page. "The level of support and cooperation between the community and its police department is a model that should be practiced across this nation."

New beginnings

Round Lake Beach Mayor Scott Nickles said Rivera's leadership and service to the community will be missed in the capacity of police chief.

"He was able to communicate even better with everyone in our community," Nickles said. "He has brought together the department. All the police officers here have respected Gil and loved working for him. He has really made a training ground."

Rivera's replacement, Wayne Wilde, and the deputy chiefs under him were promoted from within the ranks.

"I've taken this department as far as I probably can and to the extent of my abilities," Rivera said. "I really am proud of my command staff and I need to let them carry it further."

Rivera is not leaving Round Lake Beach entirely. He is returning this week in a new civilian role as the town's community development director to help maintain engagement and a partnership with the Hispanic community and spearhead programs.

"I'm very excited," he said.

MCC's new Latina VP

McHenry County College recently hired Arlene Santos-George as its new vice president of academic affairs and workforce development.

Santos-George has worked as an economist for the public sector, then at the College of Lake County for 21 years starting as a research coordinator and gradually taking on leadership roles.

At CLC, Santos-George was a data research manager; interim assistant vice president for institutional effectiveness, planning, and research; assistant director for educational affairs; and ultimately the dean of adult education and the ESL/Perkins administrator.

"Her extensive experience in curriculum and program development; student learning assessment; faculty engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; and workforce and K-12 partnerships will undoubtedly help us further our commitment to student success," MCC President Clint Gabbard said.

Santos-George will serve as the chief academic officer for the Crystal Lake college. Her duties include providing strategic planning, implementation and evaluation of the educational, workforce and academic/student support programs.

Santos-George is a member of the Illinois Community College Board's Adult Education Outreach Advisory Committee and Lake County's Workforce Development Board. She also is a board member of Mano a Mano, a nonprofit dedicated to helping immigrant families.

Muslim survey

Researchers have been working for three years on providing a snapshot of Illinois' Muslims and who they are.

Illinois is home to the largest per capita Muslim population in the nation. Thousands of Illinois Muslims have completed surveys, participated in focus groups and shared input providing insight into their communities.

The initiative is a joint project of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition, University of Illinois, and Institute of Social Policy and Understanding.

Research results will be presented in the "Illinois Muslims Report," detailing the community's demographics, assets and needs, during a reception from 4 to 6:30 p.m. July 28 in the Cardinal Room at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Joe Hoereth, UIC's adjunct lecturer and director of the Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, and Dalia Mogahed, director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, will present the findings to state and local officials and other key leaders.

RSVP to attend via Zoom at bit.ly/muslimsreport22.

Girl Scouts leaders

The Elgin Police Department and the Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois are joining forces to offer a leadership opportunity for girls 7 to 12 years old.

Project Opportunity will provide Girl Scout Leadership Experience to girls affected by poverty and other risk factors. Many girls face barriers to participating in positive youth development programs, and AmeriCorps grant funding provides the resources and personnel necessary to support their participation.

Ten participant spots are available for the program that runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day from July 18 to 22 at Lords Park.

To register, visit forms.gle/Y3sNGLCPo98TMatKA.

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