Three longtime members of the Naperville Park District’s police force are retiring from the department. Collectively, the trio of sworn officers has given 66 years of service and expertise to the local agency.
The Naperville Park Board honored the three retiring officers — Lt. Scott Wehrli, Officer Jim Goschey, and Officer Tom Wronski — during a recognition ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Lt. Scott Wehrli
Wehrli, who also serves as Naperville’s mayor, has been a part of the Naperville Park District’s police department for 35 years.
He is credited with helping establish the department’s inaugural Park Police Mountain Bike Unit, which, as Park Board President Leslie Ruffing pointed out, “helped to facilitate face-to-face interactions, and enhanced our approach to community policing.”
Park Police Chief Steve Schindlbeck commended Wehrli for his dedication to the department, even as he wore other figurative hats within the community — most recently as the city’s top elected official, as well as his role in the private sector as principal owner and chairman of the Naperville-based DuKane Precast.
“You didn’t work a lot of shifts over the past several years, presumably so you could give your full-time jobs some attention, but you always reached out to me, every day you were scheduled to work, to see if there was anything that you needed to know before you went on patrol in our parks,” Schindlbeck said.
Wehrli also holds the distinction of having worked on behalf of the park police for every one of the Ribfest events, from its inception through its conclusion in 2019.
“It’s hard to wrap up 35 years of experience in just one short night, but I want to thank the park district for all of the opportunities that I’ve had over the years,” Wehrli said. “I especially want to thank those who gave me the opportunity.”
Reflecting on his career with the park police, Wehrli said it was an honor to serve alongside the other sworn officers on the department.
“We have an outstanding group of men and women who serve the Naperville Park Police, and the commitment of each of one of them is what made it a pleasure to come to work, every day, to work with them, side by side,” Wehrli said. “They truly believe in the idea of making a place better than what they walked into.”
Officer Jim Goschey
Within his two decades of service to the Naperville Park Police, Goschey’s credits include the establishment of an ATV unit within the department. Ruffing in her comments noted the unit has become “a practical option to patrol the many acres of park district property.”
Goschey during his career became a certified ATV instructor and taught colleagues how to ride the vehicles, as well as sworn municipal officers on the Naperville Police Department.
“Your work has helped increase the efficiency of patrolling our community parks.” Ruffing said.
Schindlbeck said Goschey also was recognized within the department for his dedication, on and off the clock.
“Unlike the rest of us, Jim always kept a portable radio with him whenever he was off duty, and Jim was not afraid to use it,” Schindlbeck said. “Whenever he piped up, the rest of us would typically stop what we were doing, and start heading to his location.”
Goschey in his remarks said the Naperville Park District runs deep within his family.
“The park district is an awesome place to work for,” he said. “I’ve had three daughters, and myself, go through the district. It was an honor working with them also, just besides being their father.”
Officer Tom Wronski
Wronski made a mark within the Naperville Park Police —as well as the broader community — for his staunch advocacy of mental health and suicide prevention.
“In 2021, you created and implemented the Operation Disrupt suicide prevention program, aimed at addressing the growing epidemic of teen and young adult suicides,” Ruffing pointed out in her summation of Wronski’s accomplishments.
Operation Disrupt has since been adopted elsewhere within forest preserve police departments and within the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“We’ll never know what a difference your ‘Operation Disrupt’ sign made in the life of someone that was in crisis in one of our parks,” Schindlbeck said. “But if only one person ever changed their mind when they saw the sign, then the program has been an incredible success.”
Throughout his 11 years with the department, Schindlbeck said Wronski also became synonymous for a particular item he wore while on duty: a straw cowboy hat.
“It truly became a part of his identity, but I was never approached by one other officer, requesting approval to purchase one,” Schindlbeck said.
Summing up his career within the park police, Wronski said serving alongside the other sworn members of the department enriched his experience.
“I can honestly say, in the 11 years that I spent with the Naperville Park District Police, while sometimes bad things happened, I never had a bad day at work,” Wronski said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have served this community, and this organization.”
Photo courtesy: Naperville Park District – Pictured from left to right are Park Board President Leslie Ruffing, Officer Tom Wronski, Park Police Chief Steve Schindlbeck, Officer Jim Goshey, and Lieutenant Scott Wehrli
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