The Morton Grove Police Department has announced the appointment of a new community service officer.
Maria Downen, who is already working in her new role, will assist in filing reports, bringing arrest tickets and other paperwork to the court house along with a number of other duties, Commander Paul Yaras said.
After narrowing the pool of applicants for the position down to the 15, candidates went through a thorough interview process to determine who would be a good fit for the team, Yaras said.
Although she is not a Morton Grove resident, Yaras said the department believed in order to find the best candidate the process had to be open to anyone.
Previously working as a security officer and dispatcher for Loyola Campus Safety in Chicago, Downen also brings 10 years of experience as a dispatcher with the Northlake Police Department. Yaras said he believes her expertise will aid the department in more ways than one.
“[Downen] comes to us with a lot of experience,” he said. “She has experience dealing with people and she’s very intelligent.”
Lindsey Compton is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.