A standing-room-and-overflow crowd of more than 250 people gave Elias “Louie” Agalianos at least three standing ovations as he took his oath of office as Waukegan’s new police chief.
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With more than 26 years as a member of the Waukegan Police Department, Agalianos rose from starting as a patrol officer to become a detective, a sergeant, a commander and a deputy chief before becoming the newest chief.
Mayor Sam Cunningham, who has more than 23 years in elective office as a member of the City Council or mayor, said the size and response of the crowd was unprecedented for the installation of a police chief.
“Louie has spent much of his career on the streets, the front lines and has developed an enormous amount of respect on his approach to policing in the community,” Cunningham said. “People from all over the community respect him.”
The Waukegan City Council voted 8 -0 with an abstention to approve Agalianos’ appointment as chief of police Monday at City Hall succeeding retired Chief Edgar Navarro.
After taking his oath of office and making a formal acceptance speech calling it “the highest honor of my professional career,” Agalianos spoke again thanking family, friends—calling many by name—and colleagues for the role they played in his life.
Along with thanking many, Aglianos talked about his police philosophy. He discussed relationship building with everyone in a “diverse community” pointing to many in the crowd from “a lot of different backgrounds.”
“When we can sit down and talk to you as Tom, John, Debbie, Lucy, to each person human to human without you fearing the enforcement roles we have as police officers, that conversation hits differently and you make connections differently,” he said.
Pledging to push this philosophy to “to all my officers,” Agalianos said he wants them to “introduce yourself, make those connections first name, break bread with people in the community and make it easier for them to have that conversation with us.”
Twice during this speech, Agalianos’ voice broke and it sounded like there would be tears. Once, when he was talking about his immigrant parents who came from Greece and the other when speaking about his two children, One, Connor Agalianos, is a member of the police department.
“They arrived with hope, determination and a willingness to sacrifice so that my brothers, my sister and I could have opportunities they may never of had themselves,” Agalianos said in his speech. “I hope today you can look at your son and know your sacrifices were not in vain.”
Thanking his wife for sharing him with the City of Waukegan, raising their children when he was not always present and “always being there when I came home,” Agalianos then talked about his two children when his voice broke again.
“I want to say that I am sorry for the many firsts I missed — the moments I should have been there to witness but couldn’t because duty called,” he said. “I can never get those moments back, but I want you to know how proud I am of both of you.”
When his son joined the police force, Agalianos said he told him he “had to sink or swim on his own.” They reached an understanding of what was expected. Later, a colleague told him another reason.
“A commander said he joined the force so he could spend more time with me.”
More than anything in his career, Agalianos said founding the Waukegan Police & Fire Memorial Fund, a not-for-profit corporation, to provide financial and community support to surviving spouses, partners and children of active sworn police officers or firefighters who die on or off duty.
Born and raised in Chicago, Agalianos graduated from Lane Tech High School, studied at Triton College in River Grove and earned his undergraduate degree in public safety management from Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Ind.
Professionally, Agalianos is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, where he received a leadership award and the FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Institute.