At the Dec. 9, 2025, village board meeting, Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld announced that Homewood Police Chief Denise McGrath will retire after a three-decade law enforcement career. Her final day of service to the village will be Jan. 9.
Following her retirement, McGrath will continue her law enforcement career as an investigator with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Investigations Bureau.
Reflecting on her career, McGrath said, “My time as a detective, involvement with Special Olympics Illinois, building relationships in the community and the opportunity to welcome and mentor new officers, both as a field training officer and later in leadership roles, were among the most rewarding aspects of my service. I will miss the department, my colleagues and the Homewood community.”
McGrath began her public safety career in 1989 as a dispatcher with the South Holland Police Department. In 1990, she joined the Homewood Police Department as a dispatcher before attending the University of Illinois Police Training Institute in Champaign, Illinois, where she completed the Basic Law Enforcement course in January 1992.
From January 1992 to May 1995, McGrath served with the South Holland Police Department in multiple roles, including patrol officer, emergency medical technician, paramedic, and special agent with the Northeastern Metropolitan Enforcement Group, a multi-jurisdictional task force focused on drug trafficking and organized crime.
McGrath returned to the Homewood Police Department in May 1995 and served the community in numerous roles throughout her career, including patrol officer, liaison to the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, tactical flight officer, field training officer, detective, public information officer, patrol sergeant, field training coordinator, detective sergeant, deputy chief of police and ultimately chief of police.
Among her many professional accomplishments, McGrath co-developed and implemented the Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team alongside Police Chief Clint Wagner of South Chicago Heights. McGrath has served as a team member and currently serves as president of the SMART board.
McGrath has remained actively engaged in professional leadership and collaboration throughout her career. She previously served as a detective with the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, currently serves as a board director for the South Suburban Emergency Response Team and is a member of the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives and the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency Police Chiefs Steering Committee.
“Chief McGrath’s exemplary leadership has positively transformed the police department through trust, collaboration, transparency and professionalism,” Village Manager Napoleon Haney said. “We congratulate chief on her well‑earned retirement, and thank her for leaving a legacy that will inspire, motivate, and positively propel the department’s trajectory for years to come.”
McGrath holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Safety and a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice, and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command.
