Honoring Those Who Protect and Serve

Public Private Partnership Award

The Illinois Chiefs have a special relationship with our partners in the private security industry, the security professionals. Therefore, each year we honor one of these partners with the Laurence P. Mulcrone Private Security Partnership Award. This year’s recipient was Terrence Hughes, the Director of Security at the Oakbrook Center. His work ethic as well as his commitment to security and safety has stood the test of time during his 17-year tenure with the facility.

Criminal Investigator of the Year

This was the second year for the newly minted Criminal Investigator of the Year Award. Sergeant Steven Skrodzki with the Algonquin Police Department was a clear standout amongst this year’s nominees. The nine-year veteran of the department moved to his criminal investigator assignment on Jan. 1, 2023. In just one short year, he not only cleared numerous open sex crime investigations but hunted down the worst predators in Algonquin. Det. Skrodzki takes hard work, tenacity, and dedication to a new level. The ILACP and Algonquin Police Chief Dennis Walker can’t wait to see all that he can achieve in the next four years of his assignment.

Officer of the Year

Our 2024 Officer of the Year was no stranger to the ILACP having worked with the ILACP Traffic Safety Committee since 2013. Sergeant Eric Munson is a 25-year veteran of the Plainfield Police Department. Sgt. Munson has supervised the Plainfield Police Department's Traffic Unit since 2007, developing and directing the department’s efforts to improve traffic safety while reducing personal injury crashes and traffic fatalities. He quickly demonstrated his leadership and innovation in traffic safety when he directed his department’s efforts in the 2008 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge leading them to attain the prestigious Judge’s Award.

Sgt. Munson has continued building upon this success. Through his efforts, he has helped propel the department to be one of the top agencies in the state for traffic safety grants. Sgt. Munson's efforts in attaining funding sources, developing partnerships, and devising creative solutions for agencies seeking to conduct traffic enforcement with limited funding all demonstrate his commitment to public safety.

"There is no question that Sgt. Munson’s significant contributions to these programs, the committee, and to traffic safety in general has saved countless lives and had a tremendous impact locally, regionally, and nationally," wrote Scott Kristiansen, ILACP Law Enforcement Liaison Supervisor. "...Sgt. Munson’s leadership serves to model best practices for others in the field."

Chief of the Year

The highlight of this year’s awards banquet was the bestowing of the Police Chief of the Year Award. The award is presented by the ILACP to the chief of police who excels in his or her own department and provides extraordinary service to the association. The Board of Officers reviews the nominees and makes the selection of the chief who has best exemplified these characteristics over the past year.

Chief Ray Cordell has spent nearly four decades in law enforcement perfecting quality policing. He is a 38-year veteran who started his career in South Barrington where he rose to the rank of Deputy Chief before retiring to enter the private sector. He also served as the Director of the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy before being appointed as the Chief of Police for the Village of Oakwood Hills in 2020.

Chief Cordell is a Life Member of the ILACP and has been a lifelong learner and a strong advocate for officer education. He possesses a master’s degree in public administration and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. He is also an ILACP Certified Police Chief and currently sits on the advisory board of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA). 

Since 2011, Chief Cordell has served as the Chair of the Education and Programs Committee. This important role has led him to assist staff with procuring trainers and speakers for both the ILACP Annual Training Conference as well as the Midwest Security and Police Conference/Expo along with other training events. Organizing these events takes countless hours, emails, phone calls, reviewing documents, proposals, contracts, and other logistics. There also has to be coordination with ILACP Staff and ILETSB for credit to be awarded for each course. This is no easy task and takes significant time and effort.

ILACP 76^th President, Marc Maton said, “Chief Cordell has elevated the training provided by ILACP since becoming the chair of the educational and program committee by bringing in timely, relevant, and quality instruction for members, that help meet mandated training requirements.”

Chief Cordell has served as an ILACP assessor on numerous assessment centers the Association has provided to member communities. These assessments included chief executives as well as subordinate supervisors. His insight into the qualifications of the candidates has served numerous communities well and provided the association with an increase in credibility with our membership.

Chief Cordell was appointed chief of Oakwood Hills at a pivotal time for their department and community. There had been a leadership vacuum when the former chief left, causing village leadership to appoint an emergency interim chief from the rank and file. As a result, there were many administrative issues and duties left unaccomplished that Chief Cordell took personal responsibility for and ensured were completed. This included implementing Lexipol’s policy management software and updating the department’s policies and procedures; evaluating and replacing the department’s aging vehicle fleet; implementing a new in-car camera system; and preparing the organization for the acquisition of body-worn cameras. He has also revamped staff scheduling to maximize coverage, and prioritized training and development of staff while focusing on providing quality service to the community.

In 2022, Chief Cordell partnered with the McHenry County Sheriff's Office along with other local law enforcement leaders in McHenry County to develop and establish the McHenry County Police Social Work Program. The program is designed to support police officers with full-time police social workers to help bridge the gap between law enforcement and the county’s network of social service providers. 

ILACP Executive Director Kenny Winslow stated, “Chief Cordell has been an invaluable resource during my transition to Executive Director.  His dedication to member education and knowledge of event and conference planning has been a huge help. Ray is passionate about the ILACP and his work ethic, knowledge, and experience serve as an asset to the organization. He is well respected and held in high regard by his peers from around the state. His servant leadership style and magnetic personality are contagious.”