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Under the leadership of a new chief of police, the Naperville Police Department continues to move forward and find success in its mission to provide extraordinary service to the community while protecting life and property. Sworn in as Naperville’s top cop on Nov. 10, 2021, Police Chief Jason Arres reflects on his first year as chief and explains the ideals he encourages department employees to strive for: Be driven. Be engaged. Be transformational.

Be Driven

Just as this 21-year veteran of the Naperville Police Department hit the ground running as chief, Chief Arres expects his employees to be driven in what they are passionate about while serving the community. Being driven, he said, will allow PD staff to continue achieving successes like those they’ve accomplished
in recent years:

  • Being driven and proactive has led to the seizure of more illegal firearms than ever before.
  • Being driven and relentless led to charges in a 49-year-old homicide case.
  • Being driven and detailed has led to the implementation of critical new technologies, like body-worn cameras and NextGen911.

Be Engaged

As the Police Department’s former public information officer, Chief Arres knows and values the importance of being transparent with the community. Through an emphasis on community engagement activities, Chief Arres hopes to continue building trust between the department and the community, which will ultimately make the community safer. From the position of chief down to that of officer, NPD staff is finding ways to engage with residents and other stakeholders. In the last year, staff has met with residents at two highly successful Naperville Police Foundation social events, released public videos addressing recent crimes, launched an online form to make it easier than ever for residents to request presentations and training from the department, and co-hosted one of the most well-attended Public Safety Open Houses in recent history, among other initiatives.

Be Transformational

Chief Arres describes himself as a family man and an exercise enthusiast, among other things. Others, however, also describe him as a team player because of the way he brings everyone to the table to improve the organization. Chief Arres’ focus on being transformational stems from a belief that every PD employee should have a say in how work is accomplished on a day-to-day basis. By encouraging employees to continually challenge processes and find better ways to do the job, NPD operates more efficiently, benefiting both the department and the community.

Being driven, engaged and transformational will continue to propel the Naperville Police Department to new successes, solidifying its position as one of the best in the country and further contributing to Naperville’s repeated ranking as one of the best places to live in the United States.

About the Naperville Police Department

The Naperville Police Department is an internationally-accredited agency that protects and serves the City of Naperville and it’s nearly 150,000 residents. Their approximately 270-member department is divided into three divisions providing a wide array of preventative and responsive services to Illinois’ fourth largest city.
Their patrol division responds to calls for service and provides routine patrol and traffic enforcement. The investigations division is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of crimes, implementing community programs, and crime analysis. The administrative services division is comprised of non-sworn employees in the areas of emergency communications, records, information technology, and accreditation. Together, their mission is to provide extraordinary service to the community while protecting life and property. They live out this mission with an emphasis on integrity, employees, accountability, diversity, and community partnership. They are committed to collaborating with the entire community to build a partnership based on engagement, trust, and transparency as they carry out the great responsibility of enforcing laws and ordinances with the community, not on the community.

About Chief Arres

Jason began his career at the Naperville Police Department as a patrol officer in 2001. He served as an undercover detective for the Special Enforcement Unit, a detective in the Intelligence Unit, and a member of the Department’s Special Response Team and the ILEAS Region 4 Weapons of Mass Destruction Team. Jason has held the positions of patrol, K-9, and administrative sergeant as well as patrol and professional standards commander. As deputy chief, he led both the investigations and patrol divisions and oversaw Naperville’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatch center. He was sworn in as chief of police for the Naperville Police Department on November 10, 2021.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Public Safety Administration from Lewis University. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety’s School of Police Staff and Command; and the International Association of Chiefs of Police Leadership in Police Organizations school.

Jason is happily married and the proud father of two daughters.

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