McCutcheon named Grayslake’s new police chief

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Matt McCutcheon

Updated: April 10, 2012 11:55AM

Now it’s official. Grayslake Interim Police Chief Matt McCutcheon is now Chief of Police McCutcheon.

Mayor Rhett Taylor had recently announced he would be recommending McCutcheon as the new chief to the Village Board at their next meeting and he did so Tuesday night. Taylor presented his recommendation of McCutcheon, reinforcing earlier comments that his 20 years of outstanding public service to the Grayslake community had earned him the job. The Village Board immediately agreed unanimously.

McCutcheon has been serving as interim chief since Larry Herzog retired last summer after serving 13 years in the position.

McCutcheon has worked his way up the ladder over the years from patrol officer to the No. 2 two executive under former Herzog.

He has been involved in a well-rounded range of department activities and experiences during his service to the community. He was a key decision-maker in outsourcing the department’s electronic communications dispatch services in a cooperative arrangement with the Glenview Police Department. The move has improved police radio communications and saved the village money.

He has also facilitated the integration of the village of Hainesville’s public safety services into the Grayslake Police Department. The current arrangement has worked so well that at Tuesday night’s meeting the board approved a five-year dispatch services agreement with Hainesville.

McCutcheon has also been the point person for re-qualifying the department in retaining its national police certification. Grayslake is one of only a few nationally certified police departments within Illinois.

“This has been an exciting night for me. I am extremely gratified to have both Mayor Taylor and the board’s confidence,” he said in a brief interview following the appointment.

“I will proceed to name a new commander of operations shortly, and we will be looking at some new data-driven innovations that may offer better ways of measuring and doing what we do. We also will become more pro-active in our service to the community,” he said.