Shorewood's New Police Chief Comes From Wilmington

SHOREWOOD, IL — After more than seven years as Wilmington's police chief, Phil Arnold will be taking over as Shorewood's next police chief, the fourth in the village's history.

"As far as taking the position in Shorewood, it is somewhat bittersweet because I have really enjoyed my time in Wilmington," Arnold notiified Joliet Patch on Wednesday afternoon.

"It is a great community that has really supported me and the police department. In these recent times that is very important. I'm humbled by the number of supportive phone calls, texts, and emails that I have received since the news of me leaving was released. I will miss them as much as they miss me," Arnold added.

Shorewood Mayor CC Debold said Arnold will officially become a Shorewood village employee on Dec. 28, and he will take over as police chief Jan. 16 or Jan. 17.

Debold said Shorewood received 22 applications for the open police chief position.

"There should be nothing controversial about this," DeBold remarked. The police chief hiring process "was pretty clean and pretty straight forward."

Aaron Klima, who has been police chief since September 2011, has been promoted to the permanent village administrator position at village hall.

Shorewood, population of 18,000, and the police department has 32 sworn officers nowadays.

All 22 applicants for chief of police came from outside Shorewood, DeBold said. Three finalists were interviewed for the job.

"It went exceptionally well and Phil Arnold was the one brought forward," Debold said. "Everybody that applied was an external candidate."

Arnold will be paid a salary of $138,000 as Shorewood police chief, DeBold told Patch.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Arnold spent three years on the Harvey Police Department from 1986 until 1989, he was a sergeant with the East Hazel Crest Police Department from 1989 until 1995, commander with Harvey police from 1995 until 1999.

He then became the chief of police with the Thornton Police Department for six years, from 1999 until 2005. He became the deputy police chief for six years with Amtrak, from 2006 until 2012.

He has been the chief at Wilmington since April 2014.

Arnold said that he has lived in the Shorewood area for the past nine years.

"Since becoming involved in Will County law enforcement over seven years ago, I have seen, first hand, the professionalism of Shorewood's police department," Arnold wrote Patch. "Working with the leadership there during various events, training, meetings, etc. has not only allowed me to develop a professional relationship with the command staff, but also get an inside look at the department. I believe that my variety of experience will bring some new light into an already bright organization. I'm certainly honored to be only the fourth chief of police to lead the agency, and do not take that responsibility lightly."