Illinois Chiefs honor outstanding law enforcement officers at annual banquet
May 10, 2022 The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police honored outstanding law enforcement officers during the awards banquet on Friday, April 29, 2022, at the Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel.
Two notable awards include the Chief of the Year awarded to East Dundee Police Chief James R. Kruger, Jr., and Officer of the Year which was given to Sergeant Trent Raupp of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. The Board of Officers selected Chief Kruger to receive the Chief of the Year award based on his extraordinary leadership and service to the association. Kruger’s experience as a chief includes 10 years at the Oak Brook Police Department, during which time he also served a year as the president of the Illinois Chiefs. He previously had been the chief of police in Roselle and Winfield after spending 20 years in the Carpentersville Police Department. He started at East Dundee last month. “Chief Kruger has been a mentor to so many law enforcement officers over the years, and he is respected broadly as one of the best chiefs in Illinois,” Immediate Past President Mitchell R. Davis III (Hazel Crest) said.
Besides Kruger’s police duties, he is an advocate for Special Olympics, the founding Director of the Criminal Justice Management program at Judson University as well as an Adjunct Professor at Judson and Elgin Community College. Sergeant Raupp of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office in Woodstock, Illinois, was recognized as the 2022 Most Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Raupp has held several roles in law enforcement including his first role as a correctional officer in 2007, and later as deputy sheriff and detective. He has been with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years and was promoted to sergeant in early 2022. In his nomination, Prim cited the critical role that Raupp played in investigating the disappearance of Michelle M. Arnold-Boesiger who was reported missing to the Holiday Hills Police Department in early January 2021. Along with a team of officers, Raupp’s diligent work and thorough investigation led to the discovery of Arnold-Boesiger’s body and the arrest of her boyfriend for her murder. ILACP Executive Director Ed Wojcicki said that the persistence displayed by Sgt. Raupp throughout the investigation and his overall outstanding work Raupp said he is “truly honored and humbled” by the recognition he has received from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Administration and ILACP. He also credited the team of law enforcement professionals he has worked alongside. “Thank you to my fellow investigators, supervisors and deputies who assisted untold hours to bring the case to a close, as I could not have done it without them,” he added. “Finally, I’d like to thank my family for their never-ending support throughout my career.” Other honorees include the recipients of the Medal of Valor, Bensenville Police Officer Steven Kotlewski, Sergeant Michael Ptak, Detective Kristian Casillas and Officer Patrick Scanlan. While this award is historically presented locally, the banquet offered an opportunity to recognize these officers more widely for their heroic actions performed with significant bravery and courage in the face of imminent risk or death. Palatine Police Officer Nick Heuertz received the Rising Shield of Law Enforcement, given to rising professionals under the age of 45. The evening also included the association’s sacred tradition to recognize Illinois police officers who died in the line of duty in the previous year by presenting members of their families with the Police Cross, and the swearing in of the Board of Officers for 2022-2023. |
The banquet program was hosted by Caitlyn Brennan, CEO of the 100 Club of Illinois, and a portion of the proceeds went to the nonprofit. More than 300 people including law enforcement professionals, elected officials, community leaders and families of fallen officers attended the event. 
Kruger has continued to serve the association on the Legislative Committee advocating for policies that support police and make communities safer. For more than a decade he has been a leader on diversity issues for the Illinois Chiefs. Building on the work of his ILACP predecessors, he worked to bring the historic Ten Shared Principles to fruition in 2018. 
led to him being chosen as Officer of the Year.