PEORIA, Ill. — Peoria’s new Chief of Police, Eric Echevarria, has officially been sworn in.
Echevarria has been a law enforcement professional for over 20 years for the city of Elgin, Illinois.
He worked in the Operations Bureau, Special Investigations, Major Investigations and also served for fifteen years as a Resident Officer.
Echevarria has been clear about his intentions of Peoria Police being out in communities and received praise from Mayor Rita Ali for doing so.
“I have been extremely impressed by Chief Echevarria’s community-centric thinking,” said Ali. “If I didn’t know he was the incoming police chief, I would’ve thought he was a politician running for office.
“Peoria has about 111,000 people in population, and I think our new police chief plans to meet each and every one of them.”
Echevarria then made comments after being sworn into the position.
He thanked his family for sacrifices they have made throughout his career, city council members, the community, and fellow police officers.
“To the over 111,000 Peoria residents, I want you to know I don’t take this position lightly or for granted,” he said. “I will continue the demand for excellence that you require and deserve of us.”
Echevarria said it was his “honor and privilege” to serve alongside the police already in Peoria.
Echevarria’s first day will be Monday, Aug. 2.
