The Flossmoor Village Board welcomed three new police officers and acknowledged newly appointed Sgt. David Levy at its Dec. 15 board meeting. Village Clerk Cecil Porter conducted ceremonial swearing-in ceremonies for each of the officers and for Levy.

The board also congratulated Commander Tim Filkins who passed the certified eligible police chief program offered through the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

The new police officers are Jonathan Pennington, Anthony Caldanaro and Benjamn Baker. 

Pennington, a native of Olympia Fields, graduated from Homewood-Flossmoor High School and served as a Matteson Police cadet. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Governors State University. After military service with the U.S. Army, Pennington joined the Olympia Fields Police Department. During his seven years there, he was acting officer in charge, field training officer, use of force instructor, firearms instructor and served as president of the pension board and the police union.

Caldanaro is a native of Homewood. He earned a degree from the University of Mississippi where he was a college baseball player. He values positive community interactions and believes strong relationships are essential to effective policing. He joined the force in April and went to Suburban Law Enforcement Academy in August.

Baker was a certified full-time emergency medical technician (EMT) before joining the police department in April. He earned the rank of sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. He said he plans to use his skill set to help continue to serve the Flossmoor community.

David Levy now a sergeant

For the past 18 years, David Levy has served the Flossmoor community as a police officer. He graduated first in his Police Training Institute course and has distinguished himself during his career. 

Levy served on the NET-3 Tactical Unit using his proactive police work, investigative skill and professionalism on the multi-jurisdictional criminal interdiction team. He served for 10 years, eight of those as street-level supervisor.

As a Flossmoor police officer, Levy was an acting shift leader and a shift leader. He was a member of the field training unit responsible for developing and guiding new officers to meet the police department’s standards.

He played a major role in organizing and running the Citizens Police Academy, he founded the Flossmoor’s Shop with a Cop program and has been the emcee for the National Night Out events.

In 2004, Levy was recognized as Officer of the Year. He was selected by his peers for the honor that underscored the respect, confidence and admiration his colleagues have for his leadership and character, said Police Chief Carl Estelle.

“Sgt. Levy’s career reflects a balance of dedication to duty, commitment to professional excellence and genuine care for the community he services,” Estelle said. “The Village of Flossmoor is proud to celebrate his promotion and continued service as a leader within the department.”

His promotion was effective Nov. 28 following the retirement of Sgt. Brian Tencza.

Filkins completes chief’s program

Commander Tim Filkins is now a certified eligible police chief after passing the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) program. The designation means that Filkins has met the IACT standards of competency and conduct for the position of chief.

In Flossmoor, Filkins ranks third in the command structure.

The IACP evaluation had several parts. In the first phase, he was evaluated on his extensive law enforcement experience, including command and executive posts, his educational background, including continued education and training, and his continued participation in relevant professional and community organizations.

After that evaluation, Filkins was invited to be assessed on criminal justice procedures by a panel of two active Illinois police chiefs and a college professor. In addition, the panel also considered Filkins’ leadership, management, public relations, ethics, police agency administration and verbal communication. 

Filkins has worked in law enforcement for 25 years. He was deputy chief of the Matteson Police Department before coming to the Flossmoor Police Department in 2013. Filkins has been promoted through the ranks from patrol officer to sergeant. The past three years he’s served as commander of Patrol Division Operations.