Pritzker Appoints 5 Local Police, City Leaders To State Board

OAK PARK, IL — Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Monday five appointments to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, including Oak Park Police Department Chief LaDon Reynolds. In a news release, the governor announced the five new members of the 18-person board, who according to the state's website, administer, regulate, and certify all local police officers' training programs in Illinois. When asked if the governor has appointed any of the current members of the ILETSB board or any of its staff members before Monday's announcement, his spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told Patch that these five are the first appointments the governor has made to the board, and added that per statute, the board employs the executive director and other necessary staff.

In an effort to build on a strong team of diverse experts in their field, Chief Reynolds will serve along with the following newly appointed board members:

• Ghida Neukirch — City Manager for the City of Highland Park
• Chief Elivia Williams — Police Chief of the Village of Richton Park Police Department
• Chief Mitchell Davis — Chief of Police for the Village of Hazel Crest
• Ricardo Pagán — Undersheriff, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office

According to the news release, Chief Reynolds graduated from the Chicago Police Training Academy Metro Class as a patrol officer, and joined the Oak Park Police Department in 1994. He was promoted to deputy police chief in September 2017 after serving as detective commander, managing the Investigations Division. He also served as both acting chief and interim chief before being sworn as chief of police in January 2019, the news release said.

Chief Reynolds is an instructor for Western Illinois University’s School and Campus Security Training Program, a collaborative effort of the Illinois Terrorism Task Force, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, according to the news release. In addition, Chief Reynolds is a trainer in the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute’s Effective Police Supervision program where he specializes in Diversity Awareness and Community Policing, and also serves as an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Administration program at Triton College, teaching Community Relations and Police Administration.

Chief Reynolds also serves as the chairman of the Law Enforcement Executive Board for the Chicago FBI Regional Crime Forensics Laboratory and a former board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Metro Suburban Chapter (NAMI).

Chief Reynolds is a graduate of the 260th Session of the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute for Police, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute and the Community Leadership Program at Dominican University’s Brennan School of Business. He holds a Master of Science degree in Education and Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, according to the news release.

The board also reimburses local police agencies and regional training units for a portion of training costs and reviews and approves applicants, the state's website said.

Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh told Patch that although are no vacancies on the board, they're continuing to review and identify qualified members for the expired terms.

Abudayyeh added that per 50 ILCS 705/3, “All members shall serve until their respective successors are appointed and qualify."

"Similarly, the terms are staggered in 3-year cycles that expire the first Monday of August. There is one Board member currently serving in an expired term and additional terms that expire in August," Abudayyeh told Patch.

For a full breakdown of the current terms you can visit www.appointments.illinois.gov.

The appointed members assumed all of the responsibilities of their roles Monday when their appointment letters and oaths were filed with the Secretary of State, Abudayyeh told Patch. They can now participate in all of the duties of their roles, which Abudayyeh said she believes includes their participation in Thursday's virtual quarterly board meeting.

More information: ptb.illinois.gov