Villa Park
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Review
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VOL. 17 • NO. 6
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THURSDAY, JAN. 28, 2021
Villa Park’s new police chief is tuned in to the department, and the community Rivas brings over 30 years of experience
STAFF REPORT
Villa Park Police Chief Michael Rivas has done a lot of listening during his first month on the job. “One of the things you’ll find with me is that my ears are always open to any conversation,” said Rivas, who was sworn in as the village’s chief of police during the Villa Park Village Board meeting on Dec. 21. “I will listen. I will take the time and have the patience, and give you as much time as you need to talk. I do like people, and that’s part of what this job is. It’s meeting people and helping people as best we can.” Rivas spent more than 29 years with the Wood Dale Police Department, retiring as a deputy chief in 2019. Later that year, he became the police chief in Sleepy Hollow, a village located in northern Kane County. Rivas spent about 18 months as Sleepy Hollow’s police chief before coming to Villa Park. He succeeded Michael Lay, who recently retired after a career of about 30 years with the Villa Park Police Department. Lay served as the village’s police chief for over three years—since the summer of 2017. “Chief Lay had a tremendous transition program put in place for me,” said Rivas, who noted that he spent about two weeks with Lay going through the department’s processes,
policies and programs. In his first month as Villa Park’s police chief, Rivas has devoted several hours to get acquainted with his new colleagues. “I’ve been having one-on-ones with every member of this department,” said Rivas, who mentioned that those meetings are much more substantive than a handshake and a kind word in the hallway. “They take a long time,” said Rivas of the one-on-one meetings. “I get to know them, because I didn’t share their experiences. I wasn’t with them from day one for those 10, 15 or 20 years.” The village’s new police chief, whose meetings have included hourlong, late-night conversations with officers on the midnight shift, still has to connect with a few more officers, as well as some civilian and administrative members of the department. Rivas described each meeting as a piece of a puzzle that, when put together, shows what makes the Villa Park Police Department successful. “I retain a lot of what I’ve been told,” Rivas said. “My memory is pretty good.” Rivas lives in Lombard with his wife and their two children. As a longtime resident of Lombard, Rivas is familiar with Villa Park and many of its residents. “Living in Lombard, I’ve coached for many years in different sports, and been a part of many different programs,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of different parents in both communities. Coming back to a community that I know so well, and having the chance to help as many people as
possible—that part has been a dream come true.” Rivas spoke last week about the department dealing with a dramatic increase in residents suffering from issues related to mental health. “Those type of calls are skyrocketing,” Rivas said. “COVID-19 hasn’t helped with any of that. We’re seeing the effects of the isolation that many people are feeling.” Villa Park’s new police chief stated that while social workers have a critical role in dealing with the crisis in mental health, police officers need to be at the forefront of the response.
“There’s definitely a need for those types of services, but they [social workers] can’t be on the front lines,” he said. “That’s not going to be safe for them, but there’s definitely somewhere along the string of that call where it’s relevant and it’s needed for a social worker to be involved.” Rivas also stated that Villa Park, with its population of nearly 22,000, has more activity than where he spent the bulk of his police career; Wood Dale has about 14,000 residents. “It’s definitely busier than Wood Dale, there’s no doubt,” said Rivas of
Villa Park. “But the men and women of this department do a tremendous job in handling situations safely, effectively and completely. There is no town that has utopia. Every community has a hot spot, a problem area that requires more attention. Villa Park is no different than any other community.” Rivas added that one of his duties as Villa Park’s police chief is to serve as an advocate for the hard work of the department’s officers. “There’s a lot of noise out there, and it’s my job to be their cheerleader,” he said.
Inside:
Police Reports...........6 Sports �������������������� 16 Smart Mama............8 Classifieds..............15
CHRIS FOX PHOTO Villa Park Review
Michael Rivas has been Villa Park’s chief of police since Dec. 21, 2020. Rivas spent more than 29 years with the Wood Dale Police Department. He then served as the police chief of Sleepy Hollow in Kane County before coming to Villa Park. In his first few weeks on the job, Rivas has engaged in one-on-one meetings with the members of the Villa Park Police Department. He has also met with various community leaders. “When I meet people, we just have normal conversations,” said Rivas, who is a longtime resident of Lombard. “I’m a husband, a father, somebody who’s in the community. I care very much about what happens, so their interest and their satisfaction is very important.”
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