EAST PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Fondulac Park District Police Department has new leadership after more than two decades.
This week, Chief Mike Johnson retired. Johnson started working part-time for Fondulac Police in 1995, while on active duty in the Air Force. He was named police chief in 1999.
Under his leadership, Fondulac Police started performing marine law enforcement along the Illinois River. The department also became the first accredited law enforcement team in Central Illinois to have police divers.
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing I’m proud of is bringing people home. Bringing closure to families. I think it’s very, very important to know where your loved ones are. You’re not happy with the outcome but at least you can get some closure,” Johnson said.
Chance Barlow has been named the new Fondulac Police Chief. Barlow was formerly chief deputy and also served with the Peoria Fire Department.
“My responsibility now is to provide the tools and the training necessary so that the officers can do their job safely,” Barlow said. “to make sure our parks are safe for our citizens and keep building.”
Currently, the Fondulac Park District Police Department is staffed by 9 officers, 8 of them are part-time.
