PEORIA, Ill. – The soon-to-be retiring Chief of Police says there will always be a special place in his heart for the city of Peoria.
On Monday, Chief Eric Echevarria announced that he was retiring on May 15th, after nearly five years leading the department. Asst. Chief of Police Brad Dixon will become the top cop in Peoria the following day.
Echevarria spoke to members of the media on Monday about his decision to step away. He says the main reason for the retirement is a desire to spend more time with family.
“My son’s going into high school, and I’m not staying another four years,” Echevarria said. “And I’m not going to stay another year and then pull him out. We’re done. We’re going to relocate at some point, and he’s going to start high school somewhere else, when we make that decision.”
Echevarria says the decision to retire has been in the works for about a year now. He cites a fellow police officer friend having a stroke, as well as a one-year-old granddaughter, as other factors in the decision. Echevarria says too many officers retire too late in their lives, and didn’t want to do that himself.
In his five years, Echevarria says there are several accomplishments that he is proud of. One of those is updating equipment within the department, as well as advanced training, especially on the SWAT team. Echevarria is also proud of the department’s social services team, and being able to increase personnel with more diversity.
Echevarria says he does not have many regrets, but one thing he hoped to accomplish in his time was to establish a separate training center for the police department. He says one is in the works, though.
Echevarria spoke highly of his soon-to-be successor, Brad Dixon. Dixon has served in a wide range of roles within PPD since joining the force in 2001. Dixon has worked patrols, investigations, and been on numerous task forces.
Echevarria says naming Dixon as Assistant Chief was one of the best decisions he made in his time in Peoria.
“He’s worked just about every area of this department, if not every area,” Echevarria said. “He brings that institutional knowledge and that experience. He’s had about five years as an Assistant Chief and knows the dynamics that are at play.”
Echevarria says the way Dixon leads the department will be different than how he managed it, and urged the community to give Dixon the grace, trust, and time to settle into the role.
In the end, Echevarria says he hopes people will remember him as someone who was just himself, and as someone who tried to do the best he could for Peoria.
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