There are a lot of good officers in the Oak Park Police Department. Once in a while, though, a person retires who deserves an extra mention. Monday morning, police and village government officials marked the close of Commander Phyliss Howard’s policing career.
Commander Howard is notable in several ways. A native Oak Parker, she was the first woman on the force to make the rank of commander. She was also among the first black women on the Oak Park police force, period. That couldn’t have been easy. But beyond her pioneering ways, Phyliss Howard was just a great cop. For years she was focused on local kids as a school resource officer and then as a supervisor of juvenile investigations.
John Williams, of Township Youth Services, spoke warmly of Commander Howard on Monday. The two of them were on the front line in dealing with local kids who had skidded off course. The combination of empathetic policing and hands-on social work has saved the futures of many a mixed-up young person.
We’re grateful for Commander Howard’s 22 years of service and wish her the best going forward.
