As Chief Arres and I prepared to start our interview, a classmate hesitantly passed by, casting a curious glance at Chief Arres. The Chief asked, “Do you want to be a part of the interview?” Taken aback and perhaps a bit intimidated by the uniform, my classmate quickened his pace, murmuring “Oh, no, thanks.” Chief Arres, with a mischievous grin, quipped, “Oh, don’t worry—I’m just recording you with my body cam.”
Naperville Police Chief Arres, with a demeanor both friendly and sharp, navigates the immense responsibility of maintaining our city’s safety. The Chief graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He then worked in the private sector (specifically banking) for two years, but he felt unsatisfied.
Wanting to “give back” to his community, he saw an ad that the Naperville Police Department was hiring. His then-girlfriend, now his wife, wasn’t “super excited about it” at the time, but she supported him through the transition, from passing the test to extensive field training. He then spent seven years undercover in Naperville’s drug unit, buying drugs from drug dealers to “get the poison off the streets.” “Super fun job,” he quipped. He subsequently worked on many other units, including the FBI and the county-wide SWAT team.
During his nearly three-year tenure as Naperville’s Chief of Police, Chief Arres has championed several initiatives to enhance transparency and community engagement, including the ‘Police Crime and Incident Map.’ “If you talk to my staff,” he says, “they’d say some of the Chief’s favorite words are ‘What does the data say?’” The Chief recounted feeling that in his career, the police, as a whole, “weren’t transparent enough,” so he wanted to provide a platform for citizens to see real-time data and eliminate the “mystique” around policing.
The Chief is passionate about connecting with the youth, though he recognizes that “kids, even at the high school age, are often intimidated by the police.” Some of his favorite ways to connect with people have been through ‘ice cream socials,’ which take place during the warmer months.
Another way the police department interacts with students is through School Resource Officers, who interact with students in non-confrontational settings. At Neuqua, our SROs are Officer Schumacher and Officer Woods, who work closely with the police department and schools to ensure safety and are trusted adults that students can turn to.
At the end of our interview, Chief Arres smiled and asked, “Was it as bad as you thought it was going to be?” Far from it. While I was initially nervous to meet Naperville’s leading officer, Chief Arres’ humor and warmth made for an easy conversation. You can follow him on Instagram at @chiefarres.
