Code of Ethics
AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind;
to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception,
the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder;
and to respect the Constitutional rights of all people to liberty, equality, and justice.
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Joseph Brooks
Chief of Police
Date of Hire: 05/20/2002
Date Appointed to Chief: 09/27/2022
Joe Brooks was appointed as Chief of Police by Mayor Ken Williams on 09/27/2022, after having served with the Oregon Police Department for 20 years. Chief Brooks is responsible for overseeing all operations of the Oregon Police Department on a daily basis. He graduated from the University of Illinois Police Training Institute number one in his class. He has previously held the ranks of K9, Corporal, Sergeant and Lieutenant. Chief Brooks is a Certified Field Training Officer, commercial motor vehicle Officer, and crime scene investigator. Chief Brooks is a veteran of the US Army National Guard and served 18 months in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Chief Brooks previously served as the Oregon Police Departments first K-9 Officer. Chief Brooks completed classes at Kishwaukee Community College to obtain his level B2 fluency in Spanish with a 4.0 gpa.
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Mary Elliott
Administrative Assistant
Date of Hire: 08/11/1997
Mary is our Administrative Assistant. She has numerous tasks that she performs for the public. From records keeping, to billing, ordinance violation tracking, and many other things. She does a great job keeping everything running smoothly.
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Matthew Kalnins
Deputy Chief
Date of Hire: 04/10/2006
Promoted to Sergeant: 06/28/2022
Promoted to Deputy Chief: 2/14/2023
Deputy Chief Kalnins is originally from Oregon where he graduated from Oregon High School in 2001. He was employed as a Correctional Officer with the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department before joining the Oregon Police Department. He graduated the University of Illinois Police Training Institute. He served as SRO (school resource officer) before being promoted to Sergeant in 2022. Deputy Chief Kalnins is our control tactics instructor, Taser instructor, a member of the ILEAS Mobile Field Force, and a certified Field Training Officer. Deputy Chief Kalnins organizes our participation in community relations programs such as National Night Out, Polar Plunge, Shop With A Cop, First Responder Appreciation Day, etc.
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Tad Dominski
Sergeant
Date of Hire: 11/25/2014
Promoted to Corporal: 09/24/2019
Promoted to Sergeant: 8/25/2020
Sergeant Dominski is from Oregon and started his career as a Oregon Park District Police officer. He then worked as a correctional officer for the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department before being appointed as a full-time officer for the Oregon Police Department. Sergeant Dominski is currently a member of the Ogle County Emergency Response team, a bike patrol officer, certified field training officer, evidence supervisor, high risk traffic stops trainer, and department firearms instructor.
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Maison Crawford
Detective
Date of Hire: 08/13/2019
Promoted to Detective: 02/13/2023
Detective Maison Crawford began his career with the Oregon Police Department in August of 2018. He graduated from the Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center. He is certified in advanced roadside impaired driving. Detective Crawford handles all major crimes, financial identity crimes, background investigations, etc.
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Greg Spencer
Patrol Officer
Date of Hire: 02/11/2020
Officer Spencer came to the Oregon Police Department after previously serving with police departments in Illinois and Wisconsin. Officer Spencer is currently assigned as a patrol officer. Officer Spencer is tasked with ordinance enforcement and overseeing our vehicle maintenance. Officer Spencer currently serves in the US Air Force Reserves.
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Zach McKean
Patrol Officer
Date of Hire: 04/14/2020
Officer McKean worked in the Ogle County Jail and as an Ogle County Deputy for several years before joining the Oregon Police Department on 4/14/2020. Officer McKean is certified in advanced roadside impaired driving. Officer McKean is a certified firearms instructor.
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Tim Brechon
School Resource Officer
Date of Hire: 04/26/2022
Officer Brechon is from Oregon and came as a lateral transfer from the Byron Police Department where he served many years as a Sergeant. Officer Brechon is currently the school resource officer for the Oregon School District. Officer Brechon is a member of the Ogle County Emergency Response Team. Officer Brechon brings many years of experience to the Oregon Police Department.
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Terry Lester
Patrol Officer
Date of Hire: 01/02/2023
Officer Terry Lester comes to us as a lateral applicant from the Amboy Police Department where he served almost 15 years. Officer Lester is certified as a CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) Officer.
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Eric Higby
Police Officer
Date of Hire: 07/25/23
Officer Higby comes to us as a lateral applicant from the Rochelle Police Department where he retired as Chief of Police after serving 27 years. Officer Higby has a bachelors degree in Law Enforcement Administration from Western Illinois University, graduated from the FBI National Academy, and completed Police Staff and Command school.
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Brian Ketter
Part-time Patrol Officer
Hire Date: 05/14/2013
Officer Ketter is a full time deputy of the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department. He has worked in a part-time capacity for our department for several years.
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Randy Cropp
Lieutenant - Retired 7-1-2022
Date of Hire: 01/10/2000
Promoted to Lieutenant: 8/25/2020
Retirement Date: 7/1/2022 (Thank you for your years of service)!Lieutenant Cropp joined the Oregon Police Department in January of 2000 after previously serving with the Freeport Police Department. Lieutenant Cropp is a veteran of the US Army and served in the Persian Gulf War.
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Shawn Melville
Retired Chief of Police
Date of Hire: 07/01/1998
Appointment Date: 03/31/2020 – Chief of Police (Thank you for your years of service)!
Retired Date: 10/03/2022
Shawn Melville was appointed as Chief of Police by Mayor Ken Williams on 3/31/2020, after having served with the Oregon Police Department for 22 years. He previously held the ranks of Detective, Sergeant and Lieutenant.
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Darin DeHaan
Chief of Police (Ret.)
Date of Hire: 10/14/1996
Appointment Date as Chief of Police: 10/2005
“Retired” Date: 3/31/2020
03/31/2020 Hired as Oregon’s first City Administrator.
05/09/2023: Hired as City Manager
Previously held the ranks of Corporal, Sergeant, Detective and Lieutenant. -
Thomas Miller
Chief of Police - Retired
After Tom graduated High School, he went on to become an active community member of the City of Oregon. He proudly served 13 years with the Oregon volunteer Fire Department. He was an auxiliary Police Officer from 1974-1976. He became the first Oregon officer to attend and graduate from the University of Illinois Police Training Academy in Springfield while working as a fulltime Police Officer for the City of Oregon. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1982, and to Chief of Police in 1985 where he proudly served the community until his retirement in June of 2005. During his years of service as a Police Chief, he was elected President of the Illinois Northwest Chief of Police Association in 1986.
Before serving two consecutive terms as Oregon City Councilman from January 2007 through December 2014, he was awarded Citizen of the Year in 2006.