Incoming River Forest Police Chief James Greenwood knows about challenges. He’s faced many challenges during his 28 years in the River Forest Police Department and knows the uncertainty that comes with succeeding Chief James O’Shea when he retires on May 1.
“The biggest challenge is knowing that you don’t know everything,” he said. “It’s not knowing what the challenge will be.”
If serving the residents of River Forest is not at the top of Greenwood’s list of challenges, it’s very close.
“The biggest challenge is building and maintaining the public’s trust,” he said. “If you don’t have the public’s trust, you’re not doing it right.
“You have to have an appreciation of residents’ concerns and be aware that the police are here for the public. You have to acknowledge your past so you can succeed in the future.”
Greenwood takes over as chief after serving as deputy chief since February 2023. He has been with the department for 28 years, joining the force in 1997 as a patrol officer. He worked his way up the ranks, serving as detective, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant and patrol commander. As deputy chief, he assisted in department leadership, oversaw investigations and served as a public information officer.
In related promotions, Mike Swierczynski moves up to deputy chief, Marty Grill to patrol commander and Dan Humphreys to sergeant.
With two officers about to graduate from the Cook County Police Academy, the River Forest force will be at full strength.
“We were fortunate to anticipate the turnover,” Greenwood said.
In addition to being named Officer of the Year in 1999, Greenwood earned multiple certifications early in his career, including truck enforcement officer, child passenger safety technician and rapid deployment instructor, before joining the detective unit in 2000. In that role, he managed high-profile investigations and implemented evidence management systems before his promotion to patrol sergeant in 2013.
In 2015, he returned to the detective unit as detective sergeant, overseeing complex cases and earning certifications as a lead homicide investigator, firearms instructor and taser instructor.
Later that year, he became patrol commander, managing patrol operations, budgets and department policies.
Greenwood grew up in Franklin Park and graduated from East Leyden High School. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying political science and landscape architecture before changing directions and attending Triton College in River Grove where he earned his associate’s degree in criminal justice administration.
He earned a bachelor of business administration and management degree from Benedictine University in Lisle and attended the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University in Evanston.
While at Northwestern, Greenwood received the Kreml Award, which is voted on by the class of police supervisors from around the state and awarded to one person per class for demonstrating high ethical and professional values and dedication to public service. He is currently working on a master’s in public administration at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
“I am very excited about this opportunity,” he said of his promotion. “This village is a great place to work. We have a great relationship with the community. They know we’re keeping them safe.”
He said he does not anticipate any major changes, noting that public safety is one of the village board’s goals.
“For the most part we’ll keep things going in the direction we’re in now,” he said.
Greenwood said an important thing for him is his relationship with his officers.
“I hope they think I’m a fair leader, more like a mentor,” he said. “I want somebody to feel like they can come to me. I try to keep those relationships with them.”
He said the biggest change since he started in 1997 is the technology. They’ve gone from paper and pen to laptop computers.
“Now we’ve got body cameras and dashboard cameras,” he said. “Now getting into a squad car is like getting into the cockpit of a fighter jet.”
Greenwood’s current boss and former boss expressed confidence in his abilities.
“I’d like to extend my congratulations to Deputy Chief James Greenwood on his well-earned promotion to police chief,” Village President Cathy Adduci said in the village’s e-newsletter.
“With 28 years of law enforcement experience, James’ dedication to public service, ethics and leadership reflects his commitment to our community. We look forward to all he will accomplish in this new role.”
“Everything’s in good hands,” O’Shea said.
