Campton Hills police chief to leave

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CAMPTON HILLS – The village's first and only police chief will be leaving the department he built from scratch to seek a new opportunity as chief of the Oak Forest Police Department.

Oak Forest aldermen voted 6 to 0 with one absent Tuesday night to appoint Gregory Anderson, 52, as its new police chief. City Administrator John Marquart said Anderson is expected to begin his new duties on or before Jan. 11, 2010.

Trustee Albert Lenkaitis, Jr., said he will be sorry to see Anderson leave.

"I hope they're as happy with him as we were," Lenkaitis said. "I think he's been a great police chief. He built the department at no cost to the residents of the village. I wish him the best of luck. I'm sad to see him leave."

Oak Forest City "Administrator John Marquart said the city is happy to have Anderson join them.

"We expect great things," Marquart said. "We know that he's ging to do a great job for us and we are looking to having have his professionalism and dedication as a police officer joining our force ... I think Greg is going to be an asset to our community."

Anderson said he would make the transition for new leadership in the Campton Hills Police Department as smooth as possible.

"The best thing about Campton Hills are the officers," Anderson said. "We could not have built this police department without the best officers and that is more true today. They've helped me out so much."

Previously, Anderson served on the Aurora Police Department 27 years, 12 of them as an investigator.

Anderson was hired in September to create a new police department for a new village, created by referendum in April 2007.  As promised, Anderson had the new department up and running with 10 officers hired by Nov. 1, 2007.

Anderson said he sought the Oak Forest position as a new opportunity.

A city of 28,000 residents in southwest Cook County near Tinley Park, Oak Forest has about twice the population of Campton Hills' nearly 13,500 people.

According to its Web site, the Forest Park area was settled in the 1830s. It incorporated as a village in 1947, then as a city in 1971.

"It's a great community," Anderson said of Oak Forest. "It has a strong police department. As is Campton Hills, it is an attractive place. I'm looking forward to serving the people of Oak Forest as I did the people of Campton Hills."

Anderson said village officials would be putting out an announcement Wednesday regarding his leaving and beginning a search for another chief.
 

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