It’s been 16 days since Naperville’s police chief, Bob Marshall, retired and all seems to be good in Naperville. No riots, no crime spike, no chaos, no bedlam no kerfuffles, and no pandemonium. Similar to Mayberry but with a speeder or two on 87th Street.
Some say the best thing that Naperville has going is it’s school system, others say the restaurants, some say the Riverwalk, while others like the library system, and what about all the cute names of the subdivisions. Don’t forget about one of the finest Fire Departments in the entire country. And as far as the city council goes, is there any better in DuPage County west of Woodridge, east of Aurora, south of Warrenville, or north of 87th Street? That’s an emphatic no!
For me, the best part of living in Naperville is it’s police department!! What good is everything else if we don’t have the very best PD. Imagine you’re a cop and pulling a car over, with tinted windows at 2am, or responding to a domestic violence 911 call, or knocking on a door to serve a warrant. Imagine, kissing your spouse and two little girls, and leaving for work, and hoping you come home at night, never knowing for sure; the same thought your spouse has. My neighbor does that for Orland Park; every police officer and family in the country experience that feeling.
Deputy Police Chief Jason Arres has been appointed by city manager Doug Krieger, with the blessing of Mayor Steve Chirico, as the city’s interim police chief. Arres joined the Naperville Police Department 20 years ago in 2001 as a patrol officer, and worked his way up as a detective in the Intelligence Unit including undercover, member of the department’s special response team, sergeant, commander, and becoming deputy chief in 2017.
Marshall said, “With his leadership skills and his knowledge of both the City and the Department, Deputy Chief Arres is well positioned to lead the NPD now and well into the future.”
Naperville city officials have hired a consulting firm to conduct a nationwide search for a new police chief, which is anticipated to take up to four months. A better or more qualified person than Deputy Police Chief Jason Arres to become Naperville’s next police chief would be next to impossible to find. Arres said he is “humbled and honored” to have been asked to lead the department during the search for a new chief.
Everybody can save a lot of time, energy, and expense, by simply introducing Jason Arres as Naperville’s next police chief.
I say the same about farmers, truck drivers, loggers, fishermen, and electricians. Their jobs are much riskier than being a police officer.