Chris Botzum Becomes Joliet's Newest Deputy Police Chief

JOLIET, IL — One year after Joliet Patch suggested Lt. Chris Botzum as a possible internal candidate to replace Al Roechner as chief of police, the Joliet Police Department has promoted Botzum to a deputy chief's rank.

On Thursday, the Joliet Police Department announced Botzum as the new deputy chief of technical services. In July 2020, Botzum was promoted to a lieutenant at the Joliet Police Department.

Under Roechner, Botzum was made the police department's public information officer.

Most recently, Botzum has been the lieutenant overseeing the Internal Affairs unit. Botzum's expertise has involved technology and data retrieval from cell phones for criminal investigations. Several relatives of Botzum have been with the Joliet Police Department.

Botzum fills the deputy chief's vacancy created when Mike Batis retired in September as deputy chief of technical services. Joliet's other deputy chiefs include: Carlos Matlock, criminal investigations, and Sherrie Blackburn, administration.

Deputy chief of operations Rob Brown has been serving as interim chief of police since Dawn Malec was demoted after less than nine months on the job in October.

Malec has returned to her previous rank, traffic patrol lieutenant.

Joliet City Manager Jim Capparelli has said that the next permanent chief of police will come from outside Joliet. The last time Joliet had an outside chief was in the 1990s.