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News
'A true professional and a friend' : News : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, Illinois'A true professional and a friend'
| Montgomery Village Board, staff honor departing police chief
| by John Etheredge
| 2/25/2010
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Departing Montgomery Police Chief Dennis Schmidt was almost-but not quite-at a loss for words Monday evening after Village Manager Anne Marie Gaura presented him with a plaque on behalf of the village board and staff honoring him for his 36 years of service to the village.
"Dennis (Schmidt) is a true professional in every sense and a friend that can be counted on through thick and thin," Gaura said, adding, "Dennis is always available when you need him and will gladly take time to solve problems day or night. His advice and counsel will truly be missed by all who have worked with him at the village."
Looking at Schmidt, Gaura said, "We will miss you but we are also here to congratulate you and thank you for an incredible career."
Moments after the board and the audience in the board room at village hall rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation, Schmidt, said his wife, Lyda, who was in the audience, was the one who deserved the standing ovation for raising the couples' two daughters while he was serving the village.
The board and the audience promptly complied with Schmidt's request.
Village officials chose to publicly honor Schmidt during Monday's board meeting, his last as police chief. He will begin work next Monday, March 1 as manager of the driver safety program at Waubonsee Community College.
Last month Village President Marilyn Michelini, with the support of the board, named Deputy Police Chief Daniel Meyers as interim police chief.
Schmidt began his career with the village police department as a patrol office in 1974. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1978 and was appointed police chief in 1981.
In accepting the plaque from Gaura, Schmidt told the board and the audience he enjoyed "every day he came to work as a police officer" for the village.
"But any success we've had in village law enforcement has had very little to do with the police chief," Schmidt added.
Instead, he said, the success was due to the talented members of the police department.
"They do the work every day. The officers and the civilian staff made up of the dispatchers and the records' clerks and administrative assistants. That's the first component," Schmidt said, "You have to have a talented staff and we have one. You can look at area police departments, many of them staffed better than we are, and these employees (here) work circles around many other departments. They do a great job."
Schmidt said support from the community has also been vital to the department's success.
"We've always had an excellent relationship with the community," Schmidt said. "Law enforcement, to a great measure, is a big puzzle when you're working on cases. Sometimes you have all the pieces except one or two and if you can rely on the public and the residents, who don't know the value of the information they have, it can be a big help. Sometimes when we get that information (from the public) it can make a case."
Schmidt said village police have had a great relationship with the community and that relationship is now being further enhanced with the recent rebirth of the Neighborhood Watch program.
He added the continued support of the board has been another important factor in the police department's success during his tenure.
"What we do (at the police department) crosses the line of all the other (village departments)," Schmidt said. "To have the support of the other department heads and the village board and village manager is crucial if you are going to be successful in this job. It's a difficult job on any day of the week, but just think how difficult it would be without the support of the community and the village board and department heads."
Board member Robert Watermann noted that in his role as police chief, he has been continuously responsible for public safety in the village since his appointment as police officer in 1974 and then as police chief in 1981.
Watermann added that Schmidt's poise, calm and professionalism set him apart.
"We all look up to you," Watermann told Schmidt. "And, above, all it's your character and your ability to listen."
Peters Wallers, president of Engineering Enterprises, Inc. of Sugar Grove, noted he met Schmidt in 1990 when his firm began work as the village's engineering consultant.
Wallers described Schmidt as someone he could go to for counsel on almost any issue.
Referring to Schmidt, Wallers said, "He has a tremendous command of police work, but also has a very good understanding of human nature and people."
Over the past two decades, Wallers said he learned a great deal from Schmidt as the village grew and changed "from a fairly small community to a larger and more complex community."
Board member Denny Lee noted that village police operated out of an overcrowded station on South East River Road (Ill. Route 25) until 2005 when a new police station was built on U.S. Route 30 at Griffin Drive.
Referring to the station, Lee said, "I think it is a great tribute to you and how far you took our department."
Mike Pubentz, the village's public works director, noted that when he was hired by the village, Schmidt helped him make the transition from state government to municipal government. Pubentz had worked previously for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"I wasn't used to dealing with village boards and Dennis (Schmidt) gave me a lot of advice on cooperation and collaboration and building consensus," Pubentz said. "I'll always remember that."
Jane Tompkins, the village's community development director, said though Schmidt has always commanded respect he remained unassuming and humble.
"He never flaunted his position," Tompkins said of Schmidt.
Delay vote on
hiring consultant
In a related matter Monday evening, the board agreed to a recommendation from Gaura to table consideration of a professional services agreement with Dr. Dan Tomal, PhD, a management consultant from Wheaton, to provide leadership training, coaching and an organizational assessment of the village police department until their next regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, March 8.
Under the proposed agreement, the village would pay $12,500 to Tomal for his services.
Mera Johnson, assistant to the village manager, noted in a memo to the board that there are sufficient funds available to cover the cost of hiring Tomal.
In the same memo, Johnson described the current period as a "time of transition" in the police department due to the departure of Schmidt and the recent or pending retirements of several sergeants.
As a result of the departures, there will be at least four new supervisors in the department,
If the board votes to hire Tomal, his services would include leadership training for the new supervisors, one-on-one coaching with Acting Chief Meyers, completion of an organization; survey, and recommendations concerning potential changes to the department's structure.
Referring to Tomal's proposal Johnson wrote in "this training will allow the department to move forward with confidence and provide the supervisors with the tools they need to succeed."
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