Plainfield Police Sgt. Eric Munson Named ILACP Officer of the Year

The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) is proud to announce Plainfield Police Sergeant Eric Munson as the 2024 Officer of the Year. Our Awards Committee and the Board of Officers determined that Sgt. Munson’s dedication, passion for traffic safety, and hard work made him a standout amongst the other nominees.

“There are undoubtedly countless lives that have been saved or improved because of the years and years of dedication Sgt. Munson has shown to the area of traffic safety,” wrote Scott Kristiansen, who nominated Sgt. Munson for the Officer of the Year Award.

Kristiansen wrote in his nomination form that Sgt. Munson, a 25-year veteran in law enforcement, has helped his department receive numerous accolades through his professionalism and innovation for traffic safety during his career. Most notable is the time they received the IACP Clayton J. Hall Award.

Sgt. Munson has served in his role leading the Plainfield Police Department's traffic safety efforts since 2007 and made the conscious decision to forgo further promotional efforts to ensure he would be able to work in the traffic safety realm area of law enforcement to which he has dedicated his career. 

While on the ILACP Traffic Safety Committee, Sgt. Munson assisted in the inception and coordination of a number of statewide, association led, traffic safety efforts. These include Illinois Rail Safety Week, Illinois Distracted Driving Awareness Week, and Illinois Speed Awareness Day. 

In the past year, Sgt. Munson worked with the ILACP LEL group to ensure the success of the NHTSA Region 5 Speed Awareness Day and partnered with CN Railroad on Operation Life Saver. He also serves as the project director for traffic safety grants for the Plainfield Police Department and through his efforts, he has helped propel the department to be one of the top agencies in the state for traffic grants. Sgt. Munson continues his efforts locally through outreach at the four high schools in his community. Sgt. Munson's efforts from obtaining funding sources to developing partnerships to devising creative solutions for agencies seeking to conduct traffic enforcement but lacking funds, 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 have had a tremendous impact locally, regionally, and nationally," wrote Kristiansen. "...Sgt. Munson’s leadership serves to model best practices for others in the field."

Sgt. Munson also serves on the ILACP Funerals Protocol Committee which assists with law enforcement line of duty funeral details across Illinois. Sgt. Munson does more than just traffic safety though. He works heavily with community education, teaches the Citizen Police Academy at his department, and coordinates National Night Out not just for Plainfield, but also assists surrounding towns.

For these reasons and more, the ILACP recognizes Plainfield Police Sgt. Eric Munson as our 2024 Most Outstanding Officer of the Year. He will receive special commendation and an award at the ILACP Annual Awards Banquet on April 26, 2024.