FREEPORT, ILLINOIS — The city of Freeport is pleased to announce the hiring of an interim Police Chief, Retired Police Chief William (Bill) Fiethen. Bill has over 42 years’ experience as a police officer including 17 as a Police Chief. Bill served as the Dekalb Illinois Police Chief from July 2000 – February 24, 2012 and then served as the Monmouth IL Police Chief from February 27, 2012 – June 30, 2017. He has a Master of Arts in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts, Sociology/Criminology from Northern Illinois University. He is a graduate FBI National Academy and Northwestern University Institute. Bill is currently a member of the Illinois Police Chiefs Linebacker program and was chosen from a field of four officers forwarded to the City by the Illinois Chief’s Association as part of their Linebacker Program.
A Linebacker is an interim or substitute Chief of Police who fills, on a short-term basis, the vacancy created by the unscheduled departure of a department’s Chief Executive Officer. To maintain continual professional law enforcement leadership in a community during the search process, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police has developed an Interim Chief of Police service that would be identified as the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Linebacker Program. The objective of the program is to provide short term counsel, experience and support to manage a municipal police department until a permanent replacement can be found. The Linebacker would maintain policy established by city officials, promote the goals of the department, and respond to community service needs. To become an Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Linebacker, one must have served as a Chief of Police or Public Safety Director in the State of Illinois and been an active member of this Association.
Bill will be serving in the role as interim Chief until the Chiefs position is filled.
Related: Chief Todd Barkalow retires after 26 years on the force