Professional Experience

Rich has over 32 years of professional law enforcement and emergency management experience. He retired from the Round Lake Beach (Illinois) Police Department after 26 years of service, which included seven years as the Department’s Deputy Chief. Significant accomplishments during his tenure include technical advancements to the Department’s infrastructure, hardware, and software including implementation of: in-car video systems, computer aided dispatch, enhanced evidence management, multiple records management deployments, and community emergency notification systems. Rich was known as a fair and equitable leader who conducted internal investigations with professionalism and dignity. Rich served as long-time member of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force. As a Detective, Rich conducted eight homicide investigations, serving as Lead Interrogator on four of the eight cases.

Rich served as the Village of Round Lake Beach’s Emergency Manager for 15 years. During this time he authored and maintained the Village’s Emergency Operations Plan and coordinated the local response, recovery, and grant process for three federally declared disasters (two floods one snow event), recovering over $100,000.00 in FEMA grants.

Rich is considered a threat and safety specialist and routinely consults with businesses, schools, and military instillations for exercises, continuity of operations planning (COOP), emergency operations plans, and training violent intruder response teams and behavior threat assessments teams. He has consulted with FEMA, the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS), and Illinois Terrorism Task Force (ITTF) on school safety and disaster recovery. He has helped multiple school districts and institutions of higher learning implement school safety policy.

Rich was integral in establishing a county-wide police incident command team and currently serves as the Commander for the Lake County (Illinois) Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT). Under Rich’s direction, the team is currently managing the transportation and security for delegates being housed in Lake County for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The IMAT has also been activated for numerous events, to include the United States Catholic Council of Bishops Retreat where the Pope ordered all Bishops to convene a retreat at Seminary of the Lakes in Mundelein Illinois. The team managed local, state and federal resources to secure the campus for the week-long event that was attended by over 250 Bishops.

Education and Training

Rich earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce Degree with a major in Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Rich is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety Police Staff and Command Program.  He also graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Rich is certified by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency as a Professional Emergency Manager.

Committees and Professional Organizations

Rich serves as the Chairman of the Vernon Hills (Illinois) Fire and Police Commission.

Awards and Accomplishments

Rich was the 1999 and 2000 recipient of the Village of Round Lake Beach Officer of the Year Award.  He also received the 2017 Governor’s Hometown Award as recognition for his work to supplement emergency services through management of a group of volunteers.