April 21, 2023
Annual Awards Banquet of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
Lombard, Illinois
Welcome to the 2023 Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Banquet. I am so happy you are here with me tonight.
As I step into the role as the 75th president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the magnitude of this opportunity does not escape me. I am humbled and will be forever grateful for the privilege to lead such an amazing organization during such important times. As president, one of my responsibilities is to identify goals for the organization, to be accomplished during my term. If I have learned anything from my time in office to this point and the amazing Chiefs who have walked before me… this year will go fast. Because of this, all my goals will revolve around leveraging partnerships and identifying force multipliers who will help the ILACP achieve these important goals in the next 12 months. Hopefully some of these initiatives will be so successful they lead to long term relationships that continue to serve the organization and our great profession well beyond my time in office.
One of the goals I have set for the organization is to lead the way in creating a climate of improved officer safety and wellness. This will be done through a partnership with the BJA and their portfolio of trainings offered through the VALOR for Blue initiative. This program is dedicated to preventing injuries to and deaths of law enforcement officers AND the people they serve and improving the health and resilience of officers. The ILACP will partner with the BJA bringing training events to Illinois. This includes a commitment by the BJA to bring a variety of comprehensive in –person and virtual training classes to the region during the next 12 months, and offering a wide variety of resources to law enforcement agencies throughout the state. All of these classes and resources will be provided to law enforcement agencies in Illinois completely free of cost. ILACP’s role in this will be to support the BJA by identifying agencies willing to host trainings in their area, helping advertise the trainings and encourage attendance at the classes being offered throughout the state. I have seen, first-hand, the incredible impact these trainings have had on officers at the individual level and how agencies have benefited from working with the programs. I have no doubt these programs will have a far reaching benefit not only to sworn officers and their agencies, but also to all of the people in the communities we serve.
During this year, ILACP will continue to focus on trust building initiatives with communities of color to help heal the wounds that have led to an environment of mistrust. This will be done with a continued focus on the ten shared principles and through working cooperatively with the NAACP to identify additional ways to grow and develop police/community relationships. As part of the VALOR initiative I just spoke about, the BJA has committed to supporting our efforts in community trust building by providing training through their Safer Together program. Safer Together aims to empower law enforcement, community members, and leaders throughout the state to renew and strengthen relationships by making the most of every interaction to elevate officer safety and wellness and community trust. It is my hope this initiative helps to bring the 10 shared principles to life in police agencies and the communities they serve during my term in office and into the future.
Another area of focus for my presidency will be exploring and initiating ways to ensure there are access to increased resources for police departments wanting to invest in officer wellness. This will be done through partnering with stakeholders who are also committed to matters of Officer Wellness. One exciting partnership I would like to announce is being brought forward by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Foundation, ILACP’s charitable branch, in partnership with We Never Walk Alone. The foundation and WNWA will work together to identify donors who can make tax deductible donations to the foundation to be used for officer wellness initiatives. The foundation will earmark these funds for use by agencies for officer wellness programs and services. By working together, the ILACP plans to become a resource to empower agencies to create programs to help their officers deal with not only the aftermath of critical incidents, but all the psychological threats of the profession. The psychological threats of this profession are just as real and just as deadly as the physical threats. ILACP is committed to helping law enforcement leadership by providing resources, trainings and funding to help agencies create a culture of officer wellness.
Of course we will continue the work President Jogmen started to create improved recruitment and retention initiatives designed to attract the right people to our profession for the right reasons. Beyond that we will also work to ensure these officers have all the trainings and tools they need to have a rewarding professional experience. This work will be done in a variety of ways to meet the broad needs of our member agencies and the diverse populations we serve throughout the State of Illinois.
During my term as president, I want to let you know, I am here for you. Working together I know we can find ways to overcome any challenges that may present themselves and work towards a bright and promising future for policing. Through leveraging trusted partnerships and working with new friends, the ILACP will continue to provide leadership and support to help ensure law enforcement in Illinois is always part of the solution.
I also wanted to take a moment to thank my family and friends who have travelled this road with me. My incredible husband, Keith, my amazing boys, Helios and Bodhi and my supportive parents, Linda and Glenn Virgils have been there with me every step of the way. I never could be where I stand today without their love and support. I also wanted to thank Elizabeth Kessler and John Kremer at the McHenry County Conservation District for taking a chance on me and giving me the opportunity to lead in this profession. And Arturo Diaz, my administrative coordinator for helping me succeed each and every single day. When I consider my successes, I know there are so very many people who have helped me along the way. There is no time to mention everyone, but please know, I offer a sincere thank you to each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
Before I close I wanted to share a quick story with you. Several years back, before I found my way to the McHenry County Conservation District, I had applied for several Chief’s positions. Applying to become Chief of Police is a stressful process and I always took a great deal of time and care to prepare for the anticipated questions that are part of the interview. Of all the selection processes I took part in, one particular process stands out as exceptional. For what happened there really took me by surprise and, in the end, provided me with a true opportunity for personal growth.
As I sat at a table being interviewed by a panel of employees and members of the municipalities leadership team I was feeling quite confident. I felt I had represented myself well and I knew I was ready for this challenge. Then quite suddenly, one of the persons on the panel spoke up. He said, “OK this is all well and good. You are clearly the most qualified applicant with your education level and experience and you have knocked the interview out of the park.. but someone has to call out the elephant in the room… I mean.. let’s face it… you’re a girl. How in the world do you plan to lead a team of men who have never even had a female Sergeant? What is your plan to succeed as their Chief? ….”
Now, I have to be honest with you. I had prepared myself for a lot of questions… but that definitely was not one of them. You should have seen the look on the HR directors face. And while she did her best to apologize for the question and tell me I didn’t have to answer, I insisted that I be given the opportunity…
I told the panel that while a female in law enforcement might be something new to them, that it certainly was not something new to me. I had been on the job for over 20 years and yes, during that time I had encountered people questioned my ability to do my job because of my gender and over the years I had learned to overcome it. I said this… “in my experience the only way to get people to stop talking about the fact that you are a girl cop, is to prove to them that you are a good cop… and Sir, I am a damn good cop.”
I left that interview knowing that place was not ready for me…. But McHenry County Conservation District was… and I know the ILACP is.
I stand before you as the first female president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. And it is my final goal that at the end of my term, that people will no longer be talking about the fact that I was the first girl president, and instead remember me as a good president. For I plan to be a damn good president and it is my intention for people to think back on my term and remember my competency, our accomplishments and the leadership I provide for this great organization over my gender.
I look forward to working with you all. Thank you and God Bless you.
ILACP President Dr. Laura King
2023-2024
