City Manager Julia A. Carroll has named Mt. Prospect Police Chief Richard Eddington as Evanston’s new Chief of Police.
Chief Eddington has headed the Mt. Prospect department since 2001. Mt. Prospect has about three-quarters as many people as Evanston, but its police force is half the size of Evanston’s.
He will begin his career in Evanston on March 26. He has 32 years of law-enforcement experience, nearly half of that as a police chief.
Ms. Carroll said she was impressed with his philosophy of community policing and his experience working in a diverse community. Mt. Prospect has a significant Hispanic population.
“He has served at all the ranks and knows field operations,” she added. “That experience will help him manage the department extremely well because he has done it all.”
Chief Eddington said, “My wife and I are excited about becoming members of the Evanston community, and I look forward to working with the professional men and women of the EPD,”
Half of Evanston’s police officers have less than five years of experience which presents a unique opportunity to work with such a young department,” he added, “There is great potential to craft the delivery of police service for years into the future and really tailor our services to fit the needs of the community.”
The city will sponsor a community meeting with the new chief from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
Before Mt. Prospect, Chief Eddington spent his entire career in Rosell, Ill., where he became police chief in 1991 after 17 years with the department.
He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Law Enforcement Administration from Western Illinois University, Macomb, Ill.
He is affiliated with the North Suburban Chiefs of Police Association; Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, where he became a Certified Police Chief and received the President’s Award in 2000; the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the FBI National Academy Associates.
Ms. Carroll said Chief Eddington’s appointment is the result of a six-month, nationwide search that included several meetings with community members who were able make recommendations on characteristics of the new chief.
She says the city received 62 formal applications for the job, including interest from 20 states. Nineteen of the applicants were from Illinois.
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