By Josh Bootsma
LANSING, Ill. (December 17, 2020) – Police Chief Dennis Murrin was honored by the Village of Lansing Tuesday night in recognition of his 30 years of full-time service in the Lansing Police Department.
Murrin has been chief at the department since 2009 and his January 13, 2021 retirement date will mark exactly three decades of full-time service.
Recognizing three decades of service
Mayor Patty Eidam noted that Murrin’s grandfather joined the Lansing Police Department in 1957, one of only five officers in the Village at the time. In 1974, Eidam said, Murrin’s father joined Lansing Police as a full-time officer. As a TF South student in 1985, Murrin became a cadet with the department and was hired as a dispatcher in 1990 before becoming a full-time officer in 1991. Murrin’s son, Dennis Murrin III, joined Lansing Police full-time in 2018.
After initial comments from Eidam, the courtroom became the scene of a procession of about 50 police department officers and personnel, most of whom gave Murrin a brief hug or handshake as they made a circuit around the room. Murrin received a round of applause at the end of the procession.
The Village then played a three-and-a-half-minute long video featuring photos of Murrin during his time at the department before Mayor Eidam and Trustee Jerry Zeldenrust—both former police officers—presented Murrin with a plaque.
After his recognition, Murrin commented on his time as a Lansing police officer. “At seven or eight years old, I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” he said. “The only thing I ever wanted to do in life was to serve this Village and work for the Village. And the Village was here for me at fifteen-and-a-half-years old to offer me a cadet program.
“The people along the way, and the relationships we’ve had, the residents we’ve served—I couldn’t do any of it without them. There were some tough years here in the past seven or eight years, [but] the residents were behind our police department. I can’t thank them enough,” Murrin said.
He also expressed his thanks to his colleagues saying, “I love every one of them. Sometimes we didn’t always see eye to eye, but I love every one of those men and women that I have served and worked with over the many years.”
Murrin became emotional as he thanked his wife and family for the sacrifices they had to make for his career. He was also emotional as he recognized and thanked his secretary Sharon Novak, Deputy Chief Rick Slough, and Deputy Chief Steve Roberts.
The Lansing Police Department is located at 2710 170th Street.
Related
- Lansing Treasurer Arlette Frye announces retirement (December 15, 2020)
Village, LPD, and TF South finish video on police interactions (January 18, 2020)
