Updated 7/4/2021 9:53 PM
After a 44-year career in Naperville, 37 of which were in law enforcement, former Police Chief Robert Marshall retired Friday from a department that he believes is well-positioned for future success.
The longtime Naperville resident served as the city s top cop for the last nine years, during which had the foresight to increase training, upgrade equipment and implement peer support and mental health resources for officers and their families.
Q. What is your biggest accomplishment as chief?
A. I d put training right at the top. Shifting the culture of the department. And taking care of the people who work here. . What I ve learned is the community expects two things from their police department, if you really want to simplify it. One, when we call you, come as fast as you can. Two, work with us to solve the problem. I always believed we put a lot of effort in taking care of the community.
Marissa Nelson | May 25, 2021 9:05 pm
This story is part of Policing: A “Chicago Tonight” Special on the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder.
Kimberly Marshall still remembers a call she responded to almost 30 years ago. A young boy was thrown out of a building window because he wouldn’t steal candy.
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“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over that,” Marshall said. “That has stayed with me, and that does cause those, those dark thoughts.”
Marshall was a Chicago police officer for 20 years, and the emotional drain of the job was a challenge, she said.
“The kids that you see here, they stay with you the most,” Marshall said. “Everyone says that you, you can’t describe the horror and the nightmares and the feeling of not being as useful as you can be knowing that it’s out of your hands.”