After 29 years with the Wilmette Police Department, Chief Kyle Murphy is moving on to take a similar position in Barrington Hills.
Murphy is set to retire on Sept. 6 from Wilmette and then become chief of the Barrington Hills department.
Deputy Chief Michael Robinson has been promoted to replace Murphy in Wilmette.
Murphy said the time was right to take on a new challenge, after nearly seven years as Wilmette’s top cop.
“One of the goals I had when I was appointed in 2017 was to coach and mentor the next group of leaders within the organization and I think we are finally at that place where the village had some options internally and they made a selection upon my notice,” Murphy told Pioneer Press. “It was the right time for the organization.”
Barrington Hills is loser to his home, he said.
The Barrington Hills Village Board approved Murphy’s hire there at the Aug. 26 board meeting.
“I love this profession and I think it is very noble and I think I have something more to contribute,” Murphy said. “I think it will provide some more challenges and keep me engaged and involved in law enforcement.”
He was selected from a list of almost 50 candidates, according to a Barrington Hills news release.
“I am looking forward to working with Chief Murphy and have no doubt that he will lead the department with the exceptional standard of police service that the village prides itself on,” Barrington Hills Village President Brian Cecola stated in the release.
Under state law, Murphy is eligible to retire and take the new position. His pension will be 72.5% of his final salary of $201,964 from Wilmette, according to Village Manager Mike Braiman.
He said the village’s pension board approves all pensions.
Murphy will also have a $150,000 annual salary from Barrington Hills, according to documents from that northwest suburban town.
Robinson, Murphy’s successor, is a 21-year department veteran who started there as a patrol officer.
“Mike is an outstanding officer and a really good person, and he is going to continue to maintain that high level of integrity and professionalism that we have in the department,” Braiman said.
Murphy offered a similar sentiment.
“He has exhibited strong leadership skills in his time in Wilmette in supervisory positions,” he said. “He is attentive to the needs of his staff and the community. He is very personable and approachable and I think he is going to do a great job.”
Robinson takes command of the department as the village is exploring constructing a new police station, replacing the current building that has been used since 1968.
Braiman said Robinson has been a key point person on the project.
“We are looking forward to continuing in partnership together with the village staff and village board,” he said.
With his nearly three-decade run set to end in Wilmette, Murphy took some time to reflect and look back. He pointed to officer recruitment efforts as one of his successes. Other achievements he mentioned included development of social media efforts, an enhanced employee wellness program, implementation of body-worn cameras for officers and the department being re-accredited twice in seven years by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
He also speaks highly of the department’s work in digital forensics, believing Wilmette has been a leader in the region.
“That is the future of law enforcement,” he said. “Digital forensics is the way we are going to identify offenders in cases and successfully prosecute them. I liken it to what DNA was in the ’90s.”
Beyond his work in Wilmette, Murphy worked for eight years on the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force in several roles including commander.
NORTAF investigates homicides, non-parental child abductions and mass shootings in 13 different municipalities — and he estimates he worked over 50 homicides.
“It was probably the most difficult, but probably the most rewarding,” he said.
Murphy is set to be honored by the Wilmette Village Board at its Sept. 10 meeting. That same night, Robinson will also be sworn in as that north suburban town’s new chief.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelancer.
