ROCKFORD — The Rockford Board of Fire and Police Commissioners today chose Daniel O'Shea as the next chief of the Rockford Police Department.

O'Shea is the Elgin police operations bureau commander who came out on top after a monthslong search process that included a daylong assessment Wednesday. O'Shea said his first priority is to open lines of communication with Mayor Larry Morrissey and his administration, police union leadership and rank-and-file officers, the Rockford City Council and the public at large.

"This is an exciting city and there is a lot to offer here," O'Shea said.

O'Shea comes to the job knowing the public is looking to him to attack Rockford's persistently high violent crime rate and institute programs that prevent youth violence. He is also being asked to help repair a fractured relationship with the department's police union.

Rockford officials now must work out an agreement on salary and a start date before O'Shea can be sworn in by Morrissey at an upcoming Rockford City Council meeting, Commission Secretary Ian Linnabary said.

Commissioners expect O'Shea to provide the department and the public an inspiring leader who will work collaboratively with other law enforcement agencies, Linnabary said.

"The guy is an exceptional leader," Linnabary said. "He has a commanding presence, he understands policing, he understands 21st century policing and best practices and they have implemented those practices in Elgin with great success. We saw him as somebody who could lead and inspire this department."

O'Shea has met most of the Rockford police command staff at various seminars, training sessions and large police department association meetings that both Elgin and Rockford participate in. Other officers he knows from playing softball for the Elgin Police Department team against the Police Benevolent and Protective Association Unit 6 team.

O'Shea also considers fellow finalist Doug Pann, Rockford assistant deputy chief, a friend.

Pann is a man that commissioners found to be of extraordinary character and ability, but O'Shea excelled during the six-hour assessment, Linnabary said.

"It was a very intensive process and thorough process and I think the citizens of Rockford were well served by it," Linnabary said. "Both men were exceptional candidates. They rose to the top of a very full field and throughout the process, the candidates demonstrated a sincere commitment to law enforcement and a dedication to the Rockford department."

This is believed to be the first time that a Rockford police chief has been hired from outside the department.



Art Howell, chief of police in Racine, Wisconsin, dropped out of the running in Rockford when he reached an agreement for a contract extension in his current post.

O'Shea succeeds Chet Epperson, who retired in November after nearly 10 years as chief and is working as a court-appointed monitor of police departments in New Orleans and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Morrissey said he worked with Epperson to modernize the Rockford Police Department. He promised O'Shea that he would stand by the new chief of police even under the most difficult circumstances, as he did with Epperson.

"We have a great department with an incredible command staff that will be very supportive of our new chief," Morrissey said. "We aren’t starting from scratch. We are starting with a great body of work and I think he recognizes that."

Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana will meet for lunch with O'Shea this week and is already pitching his ideas to combine city and county tactical units, like SWAT and other specialized units. The city and county domestic violence units are co-locating and working together.

Caruana said he was excited about O'Shea's appointment because new people "come with fresh ideas."

"I think we will do very well together," Caruana said.

Aurelio DeLaRosa, police union president, offered O'Shea warm wishes and said city police officers would work with O'Shea to improve the department and the city.

"We embrace the opportunity to work with him to make Rockford a safer place to live and make the Rockford Police Department a great police department and a great place to work," DeLaRosa said in a text message to the Rockford Register Star.

Staff writers Georgette Braun and Chris Green contributed to this report.

Jeff Kolkey: 815-987-1374; jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey