Former Frankfort Police Chief Ready For New Challenge As Part Of Village's Administrative Team

Frankfort IL

26 July, 2021

2:46 PM

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By Jon Depaolis, Richard Free Press: Some may have been surprised earlier this summer when it was announced that Frankfort Police Chief John Burica would be stepping down from his role in order to be appointed assistant village administrator. But for Burica, who has served in the interim role since December 2020, the opportunity to serve the Village in a different capacity represented a new challenge that he could not pass up. Burica's career in law enforcement spans 25 years, first starting in Mokena in 1995. He spent two years working for that police department. Then, after a short pit stop elsewhere, he took a job with the Frankfort Police Department in July 1998. Burica was appointed police chief in 2010, and he would have celebrated his 11th year in that role in September. So, what led to the decision to go down a new career path? Burica — who has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Illinois State University and a master's degree in public administration from Governors State University — talked about that and more in a conversation with Richard Free Press earlier in July. The responses have been edited slightly for length and clarity. RFP: Having worked in the interim role as assistant village administrator for a little while now, what has been the most enjoyable part of village administration? I imagine there are some differences between your day-to-day activities as police chief as opposed to what you are doing now. Burica: There are definitely some differences. Obviously, while the Village and the police department are all one, we operate differently because police departments are so regulated. But it is really getting into and seeing the different aspects of [the job]. With policing, unfortunately, a lot of it is dealing with peoples' problems and issues that are going on … and rather than everything being safety and security [on the police side], now you are talking about building and community development. Things like that have always excited me. I can remember that early on [in my time in Frankfort], I'd stop by our community development department and ask what was going on [in the Village]. I think those things are just neat parts of the Village, as well as learning about our finances. Richard Free Press: You've served the community for more than two decades. What does Frankfort mean to you? John Burica: As we know, Frankfort is a great community. It's amazing with where it is at [now]. It just seems like such a different place. The people here have been great and very supportive. They demand a high standard, but that is what we've delivered to them. I really have enjoyed the friendships that I've developed both inside the Village and outside. [Frankfort] continues to push forward and is always looking for new ideas and ways to better serve the community. I've always really enjoyed that we've had a board and a mayor that if we've come up with something that we think will benefit and better serve the community, they have been supportive of it. And with the community itself, there have been times now where people are talking about some of the issues in policing, but one thing that we've always been blessed with is just a very supportive community of what we do. I see that staying the same, and that is one of the reasons I wanted to stay in this community. RFP: What got you into law enforcement as a career? Is it something you always wanted to do or something that spoke to you later on? Burica: It's something I've always wanted to do. I had a grandfather who was a Chicago policeman, and I always thought that was really neat. Although my father did not go into policing and neither did my brothers, I was the one to decided to go into it. RFP: During your tenure as police chief, the department has often been ahead of the curve on new policing strategies, technologies or methods. What created that culture? Burica: I'll point back to our board and our mayor. They have always been supportive of us. But I also have a great team over there [in the department]. We've instilled for a long time [the concepts] of community service-oriented policing and realizing that we need to look differently. People [used to think] it was about arrests. But we always looked at it the other way. You want the community on your side. You want to work with them. It makes a police department so much more effective if you have a community that has trust in you and believes in what you are doing. That is where you get most of your information. I was just telling someone the other day that I remember from [my time] at the police academy being told that an arrest is a last resort. You should try everything before getting to that arrest. Now, sometimes, you have no choice and it becomes the only choice you have. But if you look at the bigger picture, we want to solve a problem. Instead of looking at the same problem over and over again, if you can find what the root cause of that problem is and find a solution to that, it's great. It doesn't work all the time, but it works a lot of the time when you put the time and effort in. RFP: From your time as police chief, what are some of the highlights you'll look back on fondly? Burica: Our National Night Out [days] are huge events for us … and our citizens' police academy has been great. RFP: Having grown up in Frankfort as a child and being around the neighborhood throughout my adulthood, I have noticed how visible the police department has been in town — particularly in the last 10 to 15 years. I assume that is by design? Burica: I have a funny story, which is that a resident of ours called me up once and said they demanded to know what was going on in our neighborhood. I got their address and looked it up and asked what the resident meant. She said, 'Well, we have friends over, and we've seen a police car three or four times over the last few days. Even my friend said that is unusual and that there must be something going on.' I told her that there was for sure nothing going on. I said, 'That is just them being out there and having a presence in the neighborhood, which is what we like.' It's one of the reasons we even changed our cars a few years ago to have that big police [text] on the side. At first, people thought that was an aggressive look. Some were worried about it. But it ended up being one of the greatest things ever. People were coming up to us saying the cars looked neat. But [in general] it is something we push from our sergeants on down is that we want people out in the neighborhoods. If you have that relationship, people [believe] that the police are good and are our friends. They want to work with us and are listening to what we say. RFP: You seem very passionate about policing and your career, so why did you decide to make the change to go into village administration? Burica: It's something that has always interested me. Going back in time, even when I became a commander and moved up [the police ranks], I was always interested in what was going on in the Village. I have been attending the Village meetings, whether or not I had anything on the agenda, for about 17 years. And I'm always looking for a new challenge. Not that the challenges in policing are over, but after having done it for 25 years … I've heard different stats that the average chief's [time in that role] is only four years or less. I don't want to push it too far. [Laughs] I've enjoyed it, but it just comes down to wanting a new challenge and doing some new things. I think I can offer something to the Village in looking at things from a different perspective and maybe helping to move things forward and help the elected officials. I always say that they set the destination, and it is up to us to row it and steer it. I enjoy doing that. RFP: What does 'service' mean to you? What made you want to dedicate your career to that idea? Burica: Service can mean a ton of things, but to me it means being part of a community and being a helper – that person who is trying to look at things from many different perspectives and aspects to make sure that you are doing what is right. From the police side, it is helping a person who may be down on their luck and needs someone to lift them up. Sometimes, it is being a role model. Going back to my days in DARE, I think that is one of the greatest things that I ever did. I wish I could have put every officer through the DARE program to let them see. You see those different aspects of how just being there and interacting with the kids in the schools can have an effect on them. I had somebody call me about a year ago. It was one of my DARE students from maybe 19 years ago. They remembered who I was. It's looking holistically at things that are going on and making sure that you are doing what's right. It's the old adage of wanting to leave a place better when you leave than when you got there. I think that has a lot to do with it. When you serve a community, it doesn't always mean just doing what everybody wants. It is doing what is best for everybody and making sure that you are following through with that while being true to the community and their needs. RFP: Safe to say you're ready for your next chapter in Frankfort? Burica: I'm very excited for this opportunity. We have a great Village, great residents, great elected officials. No matter what, they are all looking to make Frankfort better. I hope I can continue that on and make it better if I can. I think that is the role of village administration, and I look forward to doing it. Richard Free Press is a one-stop destination for the news that most affects you, the southwest suburban resident. Be an informed citizen of the town you live in and love.