On Oct. 28, the St. Charles Police Department held an open house for citizens to meet the new Chief of Police, Daniel Likens. During the event from 3 p.m to 6 p.m., Likens introduced himself and his plans. Likens started serving the police in September, but this is not the first time he is serving St. Charles. His career began as a trooper in the Kane County area, working out of Randall and Kirk road.
Likens has over 30 years of experience in law enforcement, with over 28 of those being with the state police. Through his journey in the field, he has worked on numerous projects, giving him experience in working with a diverse group of people. This includes the transient population, local government and serving on the Planning Committee for the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
“I got to see all levels of government on the state side, from local municipality all the way up to state level government, to the governor’s office,” said Likens.
Throughout his career, he worked on integrating technology into the state police department. He was very interested in how the use of AI and license plate cameras would streamline processes for workers in the law enforcement field.
One of Likens’ favorite parts about working with the state department for so long was the diversity he experienced.
“[I liked] the ability to work all around the state and see different demographics, different communities,” said Likens. “I got to see a lot of different places.”
Chief Likens is expressing his gratitude to be the Chief of Police for the St. Charles Police Department. Likens acknowledges the work that the staff has been putting in, but he plans to further the department’s development. He plans to observe the inner workings of the force from his colleagues before making any changes, while also sharing his previous experience in the force, to create the most efficient and professional police force possible.
“I want to make this the most professional police department we can have. Our citizens deserve it. They deserve to feel safe, respected [and] they deserve to have transparency,” said Likens.
Likens is excited to be receptive to feedback, from both citizens and co-workers. His past positions have given him a variety of experience to set him up for this role. He says not to expect any immediate changes. First, he wants to understand the workplace environment, and then receive input from citizens.
“I’m going to do a lot of listening,” said Likens.
