Tinley Park Officials Name New Police Chief

Village officials named a new chief Friday afternoon who will take the reigns of the department in early January.

Steven Neubauer has been at the helm of the Elmhurst Police Department for the past eight years. He will start work in Tinley on Jan. 2, Mayor Ed Zabrocki said around 2:30 p.m. Friday. Neubauer has been working in the Elmhurst department since 1974, where he began as a patrol officer.

"I went through two interviews with him and we did an extensive background evaluation," Zabrocki said. "He's a very good speaker. He has a great experience level and one of the things we were looking for was longevity in a community. He has what we want in a police chief."

Neubauer cites children's safety, preventative traffic safety—like seat belts and speed—and Internet safety as law enforcement priorities in his letter to Elmhurst residents, according to the department's website. He also writes about the drug and alcohol prevention program. He holds a bachelor's degree in social justice and a master's degree in criminal justice, Zabrocki noted.

Throughout the application process, he rode extensively through Tinley Park with interim Police Chief Phil Valois, who will help him transition in January. Neubauer was not immediately available for comment Friday.

The active search for a new chief  the Deerfield-based Voorhees Associates LLC consulting firm to lead them in the effort. Valois was sworn in on June 7 in place of former Police Chief, Mike O'Connell, who died May 11 of complications after heart surgery. He had been at the helm of the department since 1995.

For more background on the death of O'Connell, comb the Tinley Park Patch archives.

Looking for more info on the search for a chief? 

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