A detective commander with 23 years of experience with the Oak Park Police Department has been named Deputy Chief. LaDon Reynolds, who joined the Oak Park Police Department in September of 1994, was officially sworn in on Sept. 25.
As Deputy Chief, Reynolds will oversee the Patrol Division, which includes all of the men and women in uniform who police the community day to day.
As a commander, Reynolds managed the Investigations Division of the Police Department, which includes Evidence Technicians, School Resource Officers, Juvenile Officers, Detectives and task force officers assigned to the FBI and the DEA. He also served as the Police public information officer and managed the Department’s response-to-resistance programs, including initiatives to train officers in the use of less-than-lethal methods to diffuse potentially deadly situations.
In addition to his Oak Park Police duties, Reynolds is an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Administration program at Triton College where he teaches courses in Law Enforcement Administration and Police Community Relations. He also is an instructor for Western Illinois University’s campus security training program and an instructor for Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute, where he teaches modules on diversity, cultural awareness and community policing.
Reynolds holds a Master of Science degree in Education and Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Senior Management Institute for Police, Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute, and Community Leadership Program at Dominican University’s Brennan School of Business.
Information on the Oak Park Police Department and it community policing programs are posted online at www.oak-park.us/police.