Noble has served as city's top cop since 1995
BELVIDERE — Police Chief Jan Noble is moving on after more than two decades as the city’s police chief but not without applause, compliments and standing ovations.
He officially announced his last day as Feb. 28 at Monday’s City Council meeting, to which a cascade of recognition began falling at his feet.
“Not only is Jan Noble one of the finest law enforcement officers in the state of Illinois,” Mayor Mike Chamberlain said, “he’s also one of the finest human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
“Not only has he built a tremendous organization in the Belvidere Police Department, but he is the very embodiment of what a good citizen is. We cannot thank him enough.”
Those attending the meeting — from city officials to city leaders — recognized the 63-year-old chief for his kindness, community outreach and the stability he brought to the agency when he became its chief in 1995.
Those attributes and the ability to be “very firm but very fair” led to crime-solving tips, Noble said.
“It came back to me that way, because I was not mean and I treated them with respect,” he said. “It helped me solve a lot of crimes in my career.”
The chief manages 43 officers and an annual budget of $6.3 million. He has 44 years of experience in law enforcement and earns about $100,000 a year.
Noble said he starts another state law enforcement job on March 1, though he declined to say what the job will be.
Chamberlain plans to announce Noble’s replacement in a few weeks. That selection will be subject to City Council approval.
“I can say it will be one of the current deputy chiefs, and the next chief will come from within this department,” Noble said.
The agency has two deputy chiefs — Matt Wallace and Shane Woody. Each has worked for Chamberlain for more than 20 years.
“He’s been the role model for police departments with community policing throughout the state,” Wallace said. ”Everybody should understand he’s the gold standard.”
Woody said he’ll most miss the chief’s ability to make people feel at ease no matter the situation.
“There isn’t a place that we could go with Chief Noble without somebody feeling like they could come up to him and just ask him anything,” Woody said. “He’s always made people feel at ease and welcome to do just that.”
Noble began his law enforcement career in 1974 with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. He joined the Cherry Valley Police Department in 1976 and later became chief, a position he held until he was hired as Belvidere’s police chief in 1995.
Noble is the longest-serving police chief in the state with 38 years of continuous service between Cherry Valley and Belvidere, according to the Belvidere Police Department.
The chief said he’s most proud of reducing the city’s crime rate and its gang problem, providing more officer training and being instrumental in establishing the department’s first drug unit and combining the city and county’s drug enforcement efforts.
“The first time I met him, I was very impressed by him,” said Beverly Gaddis, a Poplar Grove resident who belongs to the Police Department’s Volunteers in Police Service group. “The second time I met him, he remembered me by name. He’s a very personable person.”
Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela