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Held named police chief in Lake Forest
Chief James Held
Updated: September 18, 2012 5:34PM
LAKE FOREST — Acting Police Chief James Held was named chief of police for the city of Lake Forest at the city council meeting Monday night, effective immediately.
Held’s annual salary as chief of the 55-member department is $135,000.
“We are extremely pleased to promote Jim Held to police chief and look forward to his leadership in encouraging police participation in the community as well as continuing to maintain our low crime rate,” Mayor James Cowhey said during his announcement of the appointment.
Held, 50, was named acting police chief following the resignation of former police chief Joe Buerger in May. Buerger left in the wake of an independent review by the city into police conduct surrounding a police department student resource officer and former department intern.
“As police chief, my intent is to promote community policing, fostering positive interactions between the police department and all members of the community,” Held said in a press release issued by the city. “My goal is to maintain Lake Forest as one of the safest communities in Illinois.”
The Lake Forest City Council and executive staff selected Held from a pool of 112 applicants from 26 states.
Held joined the Lake Forest police force in 1985 as a patrol officer and investigator. In 1999, he was promoted to sergeant and commander. In 2011, he was named deputy chief.
Held lives in Libertyville with his wife, Kelly, who works in Lake Forest. They have two grown sons.
