HR0189 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0189 LRB102 17935 LAW 24625 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Chief Curt W. Barker on the occasion of his retirement from the Macomb Police Department; and

WHEREAS, Chief Barker earned both of his degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration in 1992 and a Master of Arts in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration in 2010, from Western Illinois University; in addition to attending numerous law enforcement related classes, he graduated from the Public Safety Police Staff and Command Course, session #323, at Northwestern University in 2012; he was given the designation of Certified Police Chief by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police; and

WHEREAS, Chief Barker served in the U.S. Army Reserves for over 20 years, which included two tours in Iraq; he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal; he retired at the rank of major; and

WHEREAS, Chief Barker began his law enforcement career as a patrol officer with the Macomb Police Department in 1994; he was promoted to sergeant in 2001; he was then promoted to lieutenant in 2004; immediately after his promotion to lieutenant, he was appointed deputy chief and served in that capacity until his appointment as chief of police in 2009; he has held numerous additional duties within the Macomb Police Department, including as department training officer, master firearms instructor, field training officer, juvenile officer, honor guard member, and Explorers Program advisor; he also served as an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice coursework at Western Illinois University from 2017 to 2020; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure as police chief, Chief Barker trained and led a department that responds to every call with professionalism, formulated and set forth work practices and procedures to improve police operations, oversaw the accreditation of the department, saved the city of Macomb thousands of dollars through budget cutting measures, obtained grants to further offset costs and fund programs, implemented programs such as the Strategic Response Team and the Explorers Program, and coordinated department activities with local, State, and federal law enforcement agencies; and

WHEREAS, Chief Barker belongs to a number of organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the Central Illinois Association of Law Enforcement Executives, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #189, American Legion Post #6, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1921; and

WHEREAS, Chief Barker further serves his community in several ways, including as treasurer of the McDonough County Emergency Telephone Systems Board, as a member of the McDonough County Quality of Life Committee, as treasurer of the McDonough County/Macomb Communications Board, as a member of the Community University Partnership Program (CUPP), and as a volunteer with the Shop with a Cop program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Chief Curt W. Barker on the occasion of his retirement from the Macomb Police Department, and we commend him for his 27 years of service to his community and the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Chief Barker as an expression of our esteem and respect.