We are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2017 Shining Star Award — Barrington Hills Police Chief Richard Semelsberger. Chief Semelsberger epitomizes the very best in a public safety professional, and the residents of our village are very fortunate to have such a dedicated individual at the helm of our Police Department.
Chief Semelsberger is well-known to many in the community, having started as a patrolman in 1989, and rising through the ranks over the last 28 years. Having worked under four of the nine previous village chiefs of police, Rich became Deputy Chief in 2011, eventually becoming Chief of Police in March 2015, after the retirement of Chief Michael Murphy.
He is respected and well-liked by officers in his department, and works easily with our elected officials, village hall staff, and attorneys. A familiar face to many, Rich is in attendance at each annual Hills Are Alive Heritage Fest, where he can be seen engaged in friendly conversation with village residents.
Over the years, Semelsberger has continually impressed us with his vast knowledge of the department’s operating budget during Board of Trustee meetings, always having the appropriate facts and figures when questioned by board members. But what has been the most striking recently has been his active participation in many other discussions during Board Meetings. Whether the topic was the somewhat controversial outsourcing of our 911 Dispatch services to QuadCom, or the purchase of a new phone system for the Village Hall, it was obvious that Semelsberger had studied the issues very carefully and had an intimate understanding of all of the pros and cons.
The Chief’s low-key yet highly effective style was most notably on display in early 2017 when he set the record straight on the many of facts surrounding the village’s CTY alert system, police staffing levels, and the false accusations of discontinuation of the police non-emergency number. These issues had been raised during the months leading up to the April 2017 Election by the “Your Barrington Hills” slate and their supporters. Despite the highly political atmosphere that had been created, Semelsberger calmly and clearly refuted the unfounded allegations one-by-one in a decidedly nonpartisan and straightforward manner that left little doubt what the facts were. See these Observer articles for more detail: All the world’s a stage, April 24th Board meeting recordings released, and Regime revived?
Our village is indeed lucky to have such a fine man as Richard Semelsberger fully committed to serving and protecting our homes and families. We commend the Chief for his leadership of our award-winning Police Department, and for making our community safe each and every day. Thank you from the residents and from all of us at the Observer!
He’s a credit to the force and our village! Thanks for all you do, Chief Semelsberger.
Way to go Richard, you are a wonderful brother and exceptional at the job you do everyday. I am so proud of what you do, also a little scared . Love you Richard.