Wilmette police chief to move on after nearly 30 years; another department veteran will take the reins

After 29 years in service with the Wilmette Police Department, Chief Kyle Murphy will retire from the department in September and take on a new challenge in another Chicago suburb.

Following a seven-year run as Wilmette’s police leader, Murphy will become the police chief of the Village of Barrington Hills, pending approval from the Barrington Hills Village Board on Aug. 26.

“My decision to leave is largely based upon having over 29 years of experience in Wilmette, all positive, and being presented with opportunity that would be best for me and my family,” Murphy told The Record, “and having the utmost confidence that the department is positioned really well to move into future.”

With that in mind, Murphy’s successor will be WPD Deputy Chief Mike Robinson, a 21-year veteran of the department.

Murphy’s retirement is effective Sept. 6, and the Wilmette Village Board will recognize Murphy and swear in Robinson during a meeting on Sept. 10, according to the Village.

“I have mixed emotions, but I feel good about it,” Murphy said. “I’ve had a great, great run in Wilmette with a lot of good people. I love the job, loved the community, loved the experiences I’ve had. It’s just time.”

In a Village press release, Murphy adds, “I am profoundly grateful and appreciative for the opportunity and trust the community has placed in me to lead one of the finest police departments in the state of Illinois.”

Murphy began his career with the Wilmette Police Department in 1995, serving his way up through the ranks until he was appointed as sergeant in 2004, commander in 2011 and deputy chief in 2014. He has also served on the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force as an investigator, supervisor and ultimately task force commander.

According to a Village press release, during his tenure as Wilmette’s chief, Murphy was instrumental in modernizing the department’s technology and capabilities, leading to successful investigations and more. Under Murphy, the Wilmette Police Department was reaccredited twice by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, and the department became an early signatory to the Shared Principles of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the NAACP.

Murphy passed the credit to his colleagues, saying the department’s accomplishments are “largely due to staff we have — their knowledge, skill set and dedication. We’re a pretty darn good department. I’m really proud of that.”

Murphy said working alongside those colleagues has been “one of the highlights” of his Wilmette career. He also expressed his confidence in the future of the department under Robinson.

Robinson started his career with the WPD in 2003 as a patrol officer. He has served in several leadership roles, including sergeant, commander and, most recently, deputy chief. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in public safety administration from Lamar University.

In recent years, Robinson has served as both deputy chief of operations and deputy chief of administration, overseeing the daily operations of the department’s 70 employees.

“I am proud to announce the appointment of Mike Robinson as police chief,” Village Manager Mike Braiman said in a statement. “Succession planning has been a priority for us, and Mike is well prepared to take on this critical role. He is an exceptional police officer who has a stellar record and is highly regarded by the members of the police department.”

Braiman told The Record that Robinson’s compensation was not yet determined. According to the village’s Pay and Classification Plan, the chief of police’s annual salary is between $119,920 and $217,356. In 2022, Murphy’s base salary was $190,713 per year with an annual total compensation, which includes health and other benefits, value of $224,528, according to the village’s compensation report.

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