2024 ILACP Investigator of the Year Award Goes to Detective Steven Skrodzki 

Algonquin Police Detective Steven Skrodzki is the winner of this year’s Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) Investigator of the Year Award. This award recognizes those detectives or investigators who are often not publicly recognized for solving cases yet are important in the investigation of all types of cases. 

Detective Skrodzki signed on for a five-year Criminal Investigator Assignment with the Algonquin Police Department on Jan. 1, 2023. In just one short year he not only cleared numerous open investigations but hunted down the worst of the predators in Algonquin.  

“Crimes against children are not for the faint of heart and Detective Skrodzki does not back down in his investigations and interviews,” wrote Algonquin Police Chief Dennis Walker, who nominated Det. Skrodzki for the award. “Many Detectives can hang their hat on a career of a list such as this. Detective Skrodzki has accomplished this in his first year assigned as an Investigator.” 

Utilizing excellent interview and investigation skills including but not limited to his knowledge of social media platforms, various electronic and information technology mediums, digital forensics and evidence recovery, along with contacts at federal agencies, Det. Strodzki was able to secure arrest warrants for five suspected sexual predators who were actively victimizing young teenagers and children in the community. Each of these investigations involved multiple search warrants and hundreds of hours scouring and combing through various data files. 

For many of the months in 2023, Det. Skrodzki tirelessly combed through digital evidence and contacted social media legal departments during his investigation which led to the arrest of a school district non-teacher employee accused of possessing child pornography and actively searching for underage victims. 

There were two other standout cases where, thanks to Det. Skrodzki’s thorough investigative technique after CyberTipline notifications, suspects were arrested and actively prosecuted for multiple crimes against children. 

In another case, Det. Skrodzki pursued and secured key evidence implicating a man accused of coercing a young girl to travel in an attempt to engage in sexual contact. 

His investigation skills are not the only reason to honor Det. Skrodzki for his work in 2023. Chief Walker says Det. Skrodzki is an active member of their Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Committee; participating and volunteering on his own time to attend the LETR Kick-Off Conferences, Summer Games, Polar, Plunge, Plane Pull, Cop on a Rooftop, and countless other activities that support the Algonquin community. 

This nine-year veteran of the Algonquin Police Department takes hard work, tenacity, and dedication to a new level. The ILACP and Chief Walker can’t wait to see all that he can achieve in the next four years of his assignment. 

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police would like to congratulate Detective Steven Skrodzki for his incredible achievements in 2023 and looks forward to his continued success. 

Detective Skrodzki received the Criminal Investigator of the Year Award at the ILACP Annual Awards Banquet on April 26, 2024 in Tinley Park, Illinois.