Whether you drive a truck for a living, work behind a desk for a paycheck or patrol the streets of a community, there are those who carry with them a certain commitment and passion for the job that sets them apart from nine-to-fivers.
Park Forest police Chief Chris Mannino, who will retire next month after 25 years at the department, says that despite the daily challenges of his job, “everything that is wonderful about America you can find in Park Forest.” In this he voices a sentiment shared by those few who never consider their work as merely a job.
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“It is still a wonderful community,” Mannino says. “I’ve spent my entire adult life serving as a police officer in Park Forest, so it’s a community I know better than any other.
“What an incredible place,” he continued. “There’s so much to be proud of here. I have been very fortunate to have had a career in the village.”
One showcase of his efforts can be found in the results of a recent village survey, in which the department was given a 94% approval rating by some 1,500 residents. These numbers, in an era of growing mistrust of policing policies, go against the prevailing grain.
After 25 years on the job, Mannino says Park Forest is the same community it has always been.
“I still see the same volunteerism. The level of community engagement blows me away,” he said. The mix of races, religions and cultures is inspirational and “it betters us all,” he said.
Mannino says the biggest challenge is one faced by most of the south suburbs, with the biggest barrier being “the lack of necessities.”
Village manager Tom Mick says Mannino “has taken the department to never before seen levels of civic engagement. He has been tremendous in leading the department and is responsible for raising the standard for keeping the public informed.”
Those efforts range from Coffee with a Cop, Unity Day and neighborhood police roll calls to an increased presence on social media. At times, these platforms were used to enlist the public’s help in catching criminals, alerting residents to critical situations and using a sly sense of humor to humanize the department while reporting on minor misdeeds.
The downside of posting on Facebook and Twitter is the adverse effect it has on those who fear the community is on a downslide, but Mannino insists people want to know what is going on, and that an alert community is better able to function.
When the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis led to demonstrations around the country, Mannino said the police department helped enable peaceful protests and that he took part in a march in Chicago Heights.
Today, instead of moving nonviolent juvenile offenders through the court system, Mannino’s plan for the department’s youth program helped lower juvenile arrests in Park Forest by 75% in his five years as police chief.
Mannino is a born and bred south suburbanite. His father, Vito Mannino, was once the Richton Park chief of police. His mother taught schools in various south suburbs. Chris graduated from Rich South while a sister went to Rich East and a brother attended Rich Central. He is married and is the father of four children (with a fifth due later this year).
In a recent interview with the online publication “eNews Park Forest,” Mannino recalled that as a young officer, a woman wanted him to store some storm windows. He called then police Chief Robert Maeyama, who told him “this is Park Forest. This is what we do.” Mannino went on to say officers helped residents dig out cars after a snowstorm and even cook a meal for a woman waiting for a caretaker to arrive.
Mannino’s last day on the job will be March 25, but he won’t leave police work behind. He will become a consultant and instructor, advising law enforcement agencies and local administrations on the use of public communication.
Village manager Mick selected a 24-year department veteran, deputy police Chief Paul Winfrey, to replace Mannino.
Jerry Shnay is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.