January 3rd, 2019 4:38 PM

LaDon Reynolds

By Timothy Inklebarger

Staff Reporter

The Village of Oak Park has named LaDon Reynolds to succeed former Oak Park Police Chief Anthony Ambrose, who retired in 2018.

Reynolds, a 24-year veteran of the department, will be sworn in at Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison St., at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8.

Oak Park Village Manager Cara Pavlicek said in a press release that the village conducted a national search to fill the position, but Reynolds "offered the ideal combination of experience, ethics and commitment to Oak Park."

"In making this important hiring decision, I was delighted to have a veteran Oak Park officer perform so well among a strong field of candidates," Pavlicek said. "The experience, professionalism and leadership skills Chief Reynolds displayed throughout the rigorous selection process made it clear that he was the right candidate for the job."

Reynolds, 47, has served as interim chief since Ambrose took a leave of absence in April 2018, after he was diagnosed with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, also known as NASH.

Reynolds joined the department in 1994 as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks as a detective, sergeant and commander. He was named deputy chief in 2017.

"Even before I first put on the uniform of an Oak Park police officer more than two decades ago, I knew I wanted to serve," Reynolds said. "But in those early days I saw myself on the streets as a patrol officer who eventually might become a detective and a sergeant.

"It would have been impossible then to imagine this day back then. That's why becoming chief of the department where I learned my trade is both humbling and exhilarating."

Reynolds also has served as an adjunct professor in the criminal justice administration program at Triton College, teaching courses in law enforcement administration and police community relations.

He earned a Master of Science degree in education and Bachelor of Science degree in administration of justice from Southern Illinois University.

Reynolds also has graduated from the FBI National Academy, the Senior Management Institute for Police, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute and the Community Leadership Program at Dominican University's Brennan School of Business.