Shorewood's Well-Liked Police Chief Announces His Retirement: 'You Will Be Greatly Missed'

SHOREWOOD, IL — One year after long-time Shorewood Police Department deputy chief Eric Allen left the village to become the new Braidwood chief, Shorewood's current police chief, Phil Arnold, is retiring.

According to the department's Facebook post, at Tuesday night's meeting, the Shorewood Village Board honored Chief Philip Arnold with a resolution "recognizing his retirement after an extraordinary 40-year career in law enforcement."

Back in 2021, Arnold told Joliet Patch that he has lived in the Shorewood area for the past nine years.

"Throughout his career, Chief Arnold has demonstrated exceptional leadership, unwavering dedication to public service, and a steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of the Shorewood community. His service has left a lasting impact on our department, our Village, and the many officers and employees who have had the privilege of serving alongside him," the announcement read.

In 2021, Joliet Patch reported that after more than seven years as Wilmington's police chief, Arnold would take over as Shorewood's next police chief, the fourth in the village's history.

Aaron Klima, who was Shorewood police chief since September 2011, was promoted in 2021 to the permanent village administrator position at village hall. Shorewood has a population of 18,000, and the police department has 32 sworn officers nowadays.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Arnold spent three years on the Harvey Police Department from 1986 until 1989, was a sergeant with the East Hazel Crest Police Department from 1989 until 1995, and was a commander with Harvey police from 1995 until 1999.

He then became the chief of police with the Thornton Police Department for six years, from 1999 until 2005. He became the deputy police chief for six years with Amtrak, from 2006 until 2012.

He had been the chief at Wilmington since April 2014.

"As Chief Arnold prepares to retire this Friday, we extend our sincere gratitude for his decades of service and the countless contributions he has made to the Shorewood Police Department and our community. While his leadership and presence will be greatly missed, we wish him and his family continued health, happiness, and success in this well-deserved next chapter. Congratulations, Chief Arnold, and thank you for 40 years of dedicated service. You will be greatly missed," the Shorewood Police force noted on Facebook.