Former River Forest chief of police Frank Limon has been named a deputy chief of the Oak Park police department.
The village made the announcement in a press release late Tuesday. Limon, 60, won the job following a national search process that attracted more than 60 applicants. Limon will be Oak Park’s first ever Hispanic command officer.
He will be officially sworn in as deputy chief this Monday in a ceremony in the Village Hall Council Chambers at 10 a.m.
Limon was brought in as River Forest chief in September, 2008, following two contentious years that saw rank and file police officers issue a no-confidence vote on the police chief and his two deputies.
That summer, the so-called ‘Zoufal-Woods Report’ on the state of River Forest’s police department cited disturbing divisions between command and patrol staff, and a lack of leadership.
Limon was subsequently credited by many with fixing the department’s chain of command and reestablishing a sense of trust between the command, supervisory and officer ranks.
Among the priorities Limon brought to the River Forest position was a strong commitment to senior police staff mentoring younger officers to prepare them for assuming the responsibilities of higher rank.
Oak Park Chief Rick Tanksley alluded to those values in comments in Tuesday’s press release.
“We are fortunate to have an individual with Frank’s extensive experience and background joining the department’s command staff,” Tanksley said. “His wide range of law enforcement and police management experience will give the department the command depth to mentor the young officers who are the future of the Oak Park Police Department.”
During nearly 31 years on the Chicago Police Department, Limon rose through the ranks to serve as Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Operations, Deputy Chief of Patrol, Assistant Deputy Superintendent of Administration and Chief of the Organized Crime Division.
Tanksley also lauded Limon’s depth of experience, and called him an “ideal match” for Oak Park’s community policing approach.
“Frank’s knowledge of evidenced-based policing and best practices, a demonstrated commitment to the philosophy of community policing and a desire to strategically develop the leadership potential in all officers made him stand out among the candidates in the review process.”
Limon left River Forest in March, 2010, after an impasse in negotiating a long term employment contract. He has since held the position of Chief of Police in New Haven, Connecticut, and Director of Security for Chicago City Colleges.
He holds a Master of Arts degree in public administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy.
