Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Announces New Officers

KANKAKEE, Ill., June 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Police Chief Timothy J. Swanson of the Momence Police Department took office as President of the 1,200 member Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) at the organization's Summer Conference in Kankakee on June 9, along with six other new officers.

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Also installed on the new Board of Officers were Robert A. Porter, 1st Vice President; Fred W. Hayes, 2nd Vice President; Frank Kaminski, 3rd Vice President; Steven Casstevens, 4th Vice President; Russell B. Laine, Parliamentarian; and R.T. Finney, Immediate Past President.

Timothy J. Swanson is also Chief of Municipal Policing for the Kankakee County Sheriffs Police.  He is a graduate of the Northwestern University Traffic Institute School of Police Staff and Command and its Executive Management Program, as well as recipient of  Northwestern's Public Safety Executive Leadership Award. He is also an ILACP-Certified Police Chief . In 2005, Swanson started a non-profit law enforcement helicopter service to help serve Illinois communities.

Chief Robert Porter has been an officer for the Village of Downers Grove for 25 years, including more than ten as its Chief. He holds a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a masters degree in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University. He is also a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command and the FBI National Academy, and is an ILACP-Certified Police Chief. Porter is also an active member of the DuPage County Police Chiefs Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Fred Hayes is Chief of Police for the Village of Elwood, after serving with the Joliet Police Department for 31 years. He received a bachelor's degree in Criminal/Social Justice with high honors, and a masters degree in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Research Forum's Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University. He is an ILACP-Certified Police Chief and an Adjunct Professor at Lewis University in the Department of Justice, Law and Public Safety, and recipient of multiple professional awards, including the Illinois Crime Prevention Association 2009 Chief of the Year.

Frank Kaminski has been Chief of Police for the Park Ridge Police Department since 2009. He previously served the Evanston Police Department for 32 years, rising through the ranks from a beat officer. In addition to holding undergraduate and graduate degrees, he is a graduate of Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management's executive management program and its Executive Institute for Chiefs of Police, as well as FBI training programs. Among his awards and honors is the Hixon Award for outstanding community service, the highest honor bestowed by Kiwanis International.

Steven Casstevens is Chief of Police for the Cary Police Department. He was previously with the Hoffman Estates Police Department for nearly 30 years. Casstevens began his law enforcement career in the U.S. Army Military Police with the 101st Airborne Division. In 1996, he was part of the Law Enforcement Team at the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, GA. He is an ILACP-Certified Police Chief and a graduate of Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, and its Executive Management Program, as well as the FBI National Academy. Among his numerous awards is the National Public Service Award from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Chief Russell B. Laine of the Algonquin Police Department is a Past President of ILACP and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He has served Algonquin since 1985.  Laine is a Vietnam veteran who served as a combat medic before beginning his career in law enforcement with the Streamwood Police Department in 1976. He holds a law degree from John Marshall Law School, and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Police Administration and Training Program.

Chief Robert "R.T." Finney, interim Chief of Police of the East Peoria Police Department, has been an active member of ILACP since 1997, and served as President for 2011-2012.  He began his career in law enforcement in Quincy and retired in 2012 as Chief of the Champaign Police Department. He holds a bachelors degree in Social Justice from the University of Illinois and a masters from Western Illinois University in Administration. He is also a graduate of Northwestern University Traffic Institute School of Police Staff and Command, as well as the FBI National Academy. He is a ILACP-Certified Police Chief, and active member of numerous law enforcement and community organizations, including past memberships on the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission and the U.S. Criminal Justice Information System Advisory Policy Board.

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police is a professional organization representing Chiefs of Police and other leaders of police and public safety organizations in Illinois. More than 100 Police Chiefs and other officers attended the organization's conference in Kankakee.

SOURCE Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police