The current police chief in Momence, Illinois, Jeffrey Cavender speaks to members of the public during an open house for finalists for the open Woodland Police Department chief job last month. Cavender has been selected to take the chief’s position contingent on passing a background check
Woodland is one step closer to a new police chief as a finalist was announced for approval last week contingent on passing a background check
Jeffrey Cavender, current chief of police in Momence, Illinois, was announced as the selected candidate during the Woodland City Council meeting April 3.
Cavender was one of four finalists for the position who spoke to community members during a meet and greet last month. Other than him, Former Washington State Patrol officer James Kelly of Kelso, Michael McDermott of Pocomoke City, Maryland, and former Willows, California Chief William Spears were in attendance.
At the meet and greet, Cavender explained that he had 31 years of experience as a law enforcement officer and has also been a certified firefighter and a licensed paramedic in Illinois
Previous to becoming chief, he had been an officer with Momence, teaching D.A.R.E. classes as one of the first of the kind in the state. In between working as an officer and working as chief for the department, Cavender said he had worked at the Orland Park Police Department before retiring from there to take the Momence chief’s job
Cavender made mention that he was one of only 76 chiefs certified by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police out of the roughly 1,200 chiefs in the state.
As to why the Illinois resident picked Washington, Cavender said recently he and his wife had been looking for some place with a similar dynamic as Momence, adding that he “was in it for the long haul” and should he be accepted was planning on staying in the spot for several years.
Cavender made mention of his four sons whose careers included a chief deputy coroner, a second lieutenant in the Army, a son in college looking to become an officer, and one who has been accepted to West Point with aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon.
“I share that with you because I think that speaks to you the values that my wife and I have,” Cavender said.
At the April 3 meeting, Woodland City Administrator Peter Boyce announced that Cavender had been given a conditional offer for employment of the job. At the time, Cavender was going through an extensive background check, Boyce said, adding that he hoped for it to be complete this week.
Currently the city is looking for a May 1 start date with the possibility of an employment agreement to be provided to council for approval at the next meeting (April 17).
The city has been looking for a new chief since former chief Phil Crochet retired from his position officially at the end of last year. In the meantime, former Clark County Sheriff Garry Lucas has headed the department as interim chief.
