Buffalo Grove chooses chief from west suburb to lead police department
Buffalo Grove officials announced Tuesday the hiring of Western Springs Police Chief Brian Budds as the village's next top cop.
Budds will replace Steven Casstevens, who is set to retire Nov. 11, ending a 46-year law enforcement career that included the last nine as Buffalo Grove's police chief.
A public reception to welcome Budds will be held at village hall, 50 Raupp Blvd., at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, his first day on the job. A swearing-in ceremony will follow at 7:30 p.m., during the village board meeting.
"After an extensive nationwide search, Budds stood out as an intelligent, respected and incredibly talented candidate who will continue evolving our police department as we enter the next generation of policing," Village Manager Dane Bragg said in Tuesday's announcement.
Budds was chosen from among 43 candidates through a recruitment conducted by GovHRUSA, a public sector executive recruiter based in Northbrook.
He brings 24 years of law enforcement experience to the position, including the last six as chief in Western Springs. He started his law enforcement career with that West suburb's police department in 1998, serving as a patrol officer, detective and 10 years as deputy chief.
As chief, Budds managed the department's $5 million operating budget, and also was an executive board member for FBI Illinois Joint Terrorism Task Force and Northern Illinois Police Alarm System, according to Buffalo Grove officials.
"I am honored and humbled to serve as Buffalo Grove's next police chief, and I'm grateful to Village Manager Bragg and the village board for their confidence in me," Budds said in the announcement. "I look forward to leading the talented men and women in the department and building upon the established esteemed reputation as a premier law enforcement agency in the nation."
He will work to build strong community relationships through contemporary and innovative law enforcement initiatives, he added.
Budds holds a bachelor's degree in business management from University of Illinois at Chicago and a master's degree in public safety administration from Lewis University. He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command. He completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University, is a certified police chief and holds a certificate as a technical accident reconstructionist from Northwestern University.