Naperville Police Cmdr. Kathleen Anderson has been promoted to deputy chief, the first woman to hold that position in the city’s history, Police Chief Robert Marshall said.
Anderson brings vital skills to the job that will benefit the police department as it moves into the future, Marshall said, including an extensive training background and strong leadership and mentoring experience.
Anderson is a 25-year veteran of the Naperville Police Department who started her career as a patrol officer and is currently the commander in charge of investigations. Among her previous positions are field training officer, youth investigator, patrol, training sergeant, school resource officer, and head of the youth investigations and social services units, according to a news release.
Prior to her job as investigations commander, Anderson has served as a commander in the patrol division and the investigation division’s youth and community services unit director.
She replaces Deputy Chief Mike Anders, who retired from the force in January. She will likely assume her new position following a swearing-in ceremony at a Naperville City Council meeting later this month, Marshall said.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be afforded the opportunity to serve in this capacity in the department I have called home for nearly 25 years,” Anderson said in the release. “In any leadership role I’ve held, I have always been committed to teamwork, training and sound decision-making, and I promise to continue to work within those values as deputy chief.”
In a statement issued Thursday about Anderson’s promotion, Marshall said, “Kathy has proven herself time and again as a strong and competent leader with exceptional organizational and communication skills as well as a passion for mentoring, training and career development. These attributes make her the ideal candidate for this position.”
Anderson helped establish a crisis intervention team in Naperville and enhanced the field training program for new officers, among other accomplishments, the release said. Her efforts in school safety and violence prevention as a school resource sergeant earned her an Illinois State Board of Education Award of Excellence in 2010. Since 2014, she has co-chaired the Naperville Public Safety St. Baldrick’s Event, which has raised more than $1.3 million for pediatric cancer research.
Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Lewis University in Romeoville and graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command in 2017.
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