HR0410 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0410 LRB102 19013 LAW 27741 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Chief Kristen Ziman on the occasion of her retirement from the Aurora Police Department after 30 years of service; and

WHEREAS, Chief Ziman was born and raised on the west side of Aurora and graduated from West Aurora High School; she received an associate's degree from Waubonsee Community College; she earned her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Aurora University and a master's degree in Criminal Justice Management from Boston University; she earned a second master's degree in Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California; she is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Firm's Senior Management Institute for Police, the FBI National Academy #249, and several other leadership programs; and

WHEREAS, Chief Ziman started her law enforcement career as a police cadet in Aurora in 1991; she became a sworn police officer of the Aurora Police Department (APD) in 1994; she became a field training officer and then joined APD's Community Policing Unit; she moved to the Investigations Division in the late 1990s; after seeing a spike in domestic violence in Aurora, she launched the Domestic Violence Reduction Unit, a specialized unit within Investigations to investigate and arrest those responsible for domestic violence; she was promoted to sergeant in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Chief Ziman took the lieutenant's test in 2008, and she placed first on the promotion list; shortly thereafter, she became the first female lieutenant in the history of the Aurora Police Department; and

WHEREAS, Chief Ziman became the first-ever female commander of the Aurora Police Department in 2010, where she continued her passion of community policing and helped build long-lasting relationships with the community that attributed to huge overall crime reductions in Aurora; as part of her community-policing effort, the City of Aurora documented zero murders in 2012; and

WHEREAS, Chief Ziman became the first female police chief in the Aurora Police Department's history in 2016; during her tenure, she put together a team of individuals who brought a diversity of culture and thought to the department, updated antiquated policies, implemented a consistent system of accountability, incorporated new technology to enhance policing, and continued making strides with the community; and

WHEREAS, Chief Ziman serves as vice president at-large of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and is a member of the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC); she also serves as the member at-large of the Police Executive Research Firm (PERF); and

WHEREAS, During her 30-year career, Chief Ziman led by example, opened doors for those who came after, and encouraged the Aurora Police Department, no matter their rank or position, to always speak up if they had an idea or concern; her leadership brought humanity, trust, and legitimacy to the Aurora Police Department; 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 Kristen Ziman on her retirement from the Aurora Police Department, thank her for her service to the community, and wish her all the best in her future endeavors; and be it further

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