Shiloh names new police chief

After nine months, the search for a new police chief for the village of Shiloh is over.

Richard Wittenauer, who is currently serving as Collinsville’s assistant chief, was unanimously approved by the village’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

“I just look forward to being here, working with everybody, working with the board,” Wittenauer said. “I’m just looking for a real positive experience and hope to be here a long time and work hard for the village of Shiloh.”

Wittenauer has served with the Collinsville Police Department since 1994.

“He became a lieutenant in 2009,” said Shiloh Mayor Jim Vernier.

Wittenauer has served as assistant chief in Collinsville for the last three years.

“He’s been ‘Officer of the Month’ four times. He’s got academic honors with the police academy,” Vernier said of Wittenauer.

Vernier said Wittenauer is equipped for the job with multiple higher education degrees, specializing in human resource development and law enforcement, which he earned from Western Illinois University.

“He’s also got training certificates from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, as well as Southwestern Illinois Police Academy,” Vernier said.

Wittenauer is also a certified juvenile officer, has been a supervisor on the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, and was an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University in Belleville last year, according to Vernier.

A U.S. Marine Corps Reservist from 1986-1992, Wittenauer also served in Desert Storm, Vernier said.

“He’s got a national service medals with the Marine Corps. He’s got a Southwest Asia service medal with the Marine Corps,” Vernier said.

After a 10-year run as Shiloh’s police chief, Jim Stover retired from the force on Dec. 31, 2016. Gary McGill has been serving as the interim head of the department since, while the village has been conducting its search for a new chief.

“Assistant Chief Gary McGill’s been keeping me in line and showing me things and how things operate,” said Wittenauer, who officially starts in his new role on Sept. 25.

McGill became the Shiloh Police Department’s very first full-time employee when he started nearly three decades ago and has served the village well, Verneir said.

“I can’t say it enough for the job that you’ve done,” Vernier told McGill.

McGill said his retirement is closing in, but no hard date has been set as of yet.

“I will hit my 30-year mark in June 2018. So my plan, at least at the moment, is to retire at the end of July,” McGill said.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Shiloh names new police chief."