'It's Just The Right Time': Police Chief To Retire After 28 Years

PLAINFIELD, IL — After nearly three decades with the Plainfield Police Department, Chief John Konopek is retiring.

"It's just the right time," he said. His last day at the department will be July 15.

A steadfast member of the department, Konopek began working in Plainfield in 1994, when "the village itself only had two or three traffic lights in the entire town." Since then, a lot has changed, he told Patch.

"You have to remember when I first started, we only had 14 officers [in] the department, so we were a very small department. Plainfield had just passed 5,000 people in population," he said. "I really got on at a great time."

When Plainfield began to grow — "Plainfield at one point was one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States," he said — Konopek was promoted to sergeant and shortly after to commander. The now-57-year-old was the first commander in the department's history.

In 2011, he was appointed chief, the position he has now held for 11 years.

"I think Chief Konopek and the Plainfield Police Department have done a great job over the years," Mayor John Argoudelis said. "That's why I reappointed him without question."

In addition to being police chief, Konopek also helms the Plainfield Emergency Management Agency — a job he's been doing for about 22 years. Growing the department is one of his proudest achievements, he said.

"When I took over Emergency Management, we had five members, two old squad cars and an old building," he said. "As I leave, we consistently have about 25 volunteer members. We've got a fleet of squad cars, and we're building our new EMA facility, so I'm pretty proud of that. That should be hopefully opening up here in the next few months."

Besides EMA, Konopek said he's proud of the department's forward-thinking, upscale training, connections built with other agencies, and diverse personnel that represents "many different walks of life [and] different cultures."

Outside of the police department, Konopek has also been involved in Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, where he has served as a team commander for 15 years. He was among the police officers who traveled to New Orleans to help after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Before joining the police department in 1994, he spent six years working for the Illinois Department of Correction's juvenile division.

Applications for Konopek's position closed about a week ago, and the new appointment could come from either an internal or an external candidate. With "tens" of applicants, including some from out of state, Mayor John Argoudelis said he has gone into the search "very open-minded."

"We really want the best person for the job no matter what," he told Patch. "When someone retires,] it gives us a great opportunity to see how we do business, to self-examine ... to take a look at everything."

Once Argoudelis selects his candidate, he'll present them to the Village Board for consideration and appointment.

Despite "the last few years have been the most trying in my career," Konopek said the community's support for law enforcement has been "the best thing that I've experienced."

"Going all the way back to September 11 to even in 2020 with the pandemic and the civil unrest and everything, we had unbelievable support from our community, bringing us gifts and thanking us when we're out on the street ... for everything that we do," he said. "That's what makes it great coming to work every day in Plainfield."

He continued: "I just want to thank this community [that] really embraced me in the last 28 years."

After his retirement in just a few weeks, Konopek said he plans to continue teaching a few classes, spend more time hiking with his wife and go "wherever the wind takes us." His retirement will be the first time he has had more than a couple of weeks off at a time, something he said he's "excited and kind of scared to see what that's all about."

"I'm not going to fade away completely," he said, adding he might volunteer with an emergency services organization. "I'm still going to stay active, but it's time for someone else to sit in the chief's chair and take the department in whatever direction they take the department in."