Tinley Welcomes Interim Police Chief

There's a new top cop in Tinley Park, at least for the time being.

At Tuesday's Tinley Park Village Board meeting, former department commander and current Community Service Officer Phil Valois was sworn in as interim police chief. The ceremony was led by Village Clerk Patrick Rea.

Valois steps into a role that was being filled by Sgt. Patrick McCain, who was acting as interim chief after former .

“I am humbled and honored that they thought of me,” Valois said. “Mike was a great chief and I'm honored to try and fill his shoes, but it's a tall task. He was a great chief and I'll do the best I can.”

Valois added that he is excited for his new position in the department and to hit the ground running.

“We have a great staff and I'm confident we will be able to handle all of the challenges,” he said. “(Summer) is a busy time, we have a lot of things going on in the Village. The police department is a part of that, it's a busy season for us but we'll handle it, we always have.”

With Valois in place as interim chief, the village begins the search for a permanent police chief, mayor pro-temp Brian Maher said at the meeting. Valois said that the village hopes to name an official chief in the next three to six months.

“This is a difficult job, a tough job and I look forward to working with (Valois) as we conduct our search for a new, permanent police chief,” Maher said.“He brings a great deal of determination and experience to the position.”