Demitrous Cook Named New Evanston Police Chief

EVANSTON, IL — The next Evanston police chief will walk onto the job next month with nearly three decades of experience policing the town and eight years as a chief himself, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz announced Tuesday.

Demitrous Cook began his law enforcement career with the Northwestern University Police Department in 1981 and joined the Evanston Police Department as a patrol officer three years later, rising through thee ranks to become deputy chief before he was hired as chief of the Glenwood Police Department in 2010. He will take over next month from Chief Richard Eddington, who is retiring after 11 years in charge.

During discussions about how to replace Eddington, Bobkiewicz said the community's priorities had been clear.

"People wanted someone who, if they weren't from Evanston, certainly, knew Evanston," Bobkiewicz said. "Someone who understood the community, understood the community's priorities." He said Cook was a proven leader who is "uniquely qualified to address our community’s public safety needs and challenges."

At a press conference announcing his appointment, Cook thanked Eddington for his work and assistance he provided since Cook became chief in south suburban Glenwood.

"He's a great friend and a mentor and I really appreciate his service to the city of Evanston," said Cook, who spent six years as deputy chief under Eddington. He headed up first support and later investigative services divisions.

"I always looked at that wall upstairs with the great police chiefs we've had in the past up there, and I always wanted my name to be on that wall," Cook said. He thanked the city manager and mayor for hiring him after a nationwide search that began in July.

"I've never left Evanston, really, you know, I'm up here a lot, and It's from exposing myself. You know when I first started walking a beat, people didn't like me, I had to call some of the old-school tac guys and some of the old commanders to get my assimilated into the community," he said. "But I kept going around, and the relationship kept getting better and better. So that's what I hope our police officers will take into consideration, it's that the public is really on our side, and if we get out there and listen and not take things personal we can move forward."

Cook said he would be networking across layers of government, business and educational institutions to help facilitate positive change in Evanston.

"My goal is to get down to the root cause of the issues in this town that cause mistrust with the police department, and that can be a difficult proposition when people already have mistrust,
Cook said. "So, with the community's efforts and the police officers here, we're going to discuss things in a way that's civil, that's respectful of both parties and try to make change that's positive for the whole city."

The Evanston Police Department has 166 full-time sworn personnel and 59 civilian personnel with a budget of more than $38 million, of which about $10.5 million is programmed for pension responsibilities, according to the firm hired by the city for the job search, GovHR. Cook said he supported a zero-based budgeting philosophy for the department and said he would seek to increase efficiencies and reduce costs with the city manager. He said Evanston was staffed by exceptional officers with a superb reputation.

Cook has served as president of the South Suburban Emergency Response Team (SSERT) and as vice president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Chicago Metropolitan Chapter. He is a graduate of the FBI’s Midwest Law Enforcement Executive Development program, Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command and is a 1999 graduate of the Evanston Community Foundation’s Leadership Evanston program.

"We're going to get to know each other," Cook said. "I think that's one of the primary issues that's going on in America now. My issue is: How do you do that? Do you wait for the monthly neighborhood meeting? I don't think so," He suggested bringing the public into the station for candid discussions. "Police officers in America deserve praise. It's not every police officer that's out here committing issues for the government. So we're going to do things to make it more transparent, come in, have a good time, that's what I plan to do."

Cook, who begins work as chief on Jan. 2, 2019, said he intended to find a place to live in Evanston. He will appear on Jan. 9 at a community meeting in at the Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave.

Earlier: Evanston Police Chief Announces Retirement

Video: Demitrous Cook appeared at a press conference Dec. 11:

Video: Eddington appeared at his final City Council meeting Dec. 10:

UPDATE: Demitrous Cook Sworn In As New Evanston Police Chief