Retiring Orland Park police chief looks back on illustrious career of service

McCarthy reflects on his nearly 50 years in law enforcement

By Heather Warthen, Freelance Reporter

Additional reporting by Jon DePaolis

After spending nearly 50 years in law enforcement, longtime Orland Park Police Chief Tim McCarthy announced his retirement earlier this month.

McCarthy, who has been Orland Park’s top cop for the past 26 years, will retire Aug. 1 at age 71.

“I have a wife, three kids and seven grandchildren,” he said in a phone interview July 9. “Put that all together and it adds up. I’m healthy, and there’s not many people in my business at the age of 71. It just seems like the right time … and my wife’s been talking about it for the last five to six years.”

The road to Orland Park

Earlier in his law enforcement career, McCarthy worked as a special agent for the United States Secret Service. He was assigned to the presidential detail for former President Ronald Reagan.

On March 30, 1981, McCarthy protected Reagan from an assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton by taking a bullet for the president. McCarthy stayed in the Secret Service until he retired as the top agent at the Chicago field office in 1993.

McCarthy moved to Orland Park in 1989 after returning from Washington D.C. While he lived in the Beverly area growing up, he also had relatives in Orland Park.

“Orland Park had everything you could possibly want, so that is how we ended up [there],” he said.

Around 1994, several police chiefs in nearby towns reached out to McCarthy to let him know the Orland Park chief of police job was open. He had been unaware.

“They asked me if I had any interest in it, and I said I really didn’t at the time,” he recalled. “But I said I’d think about it.”

After talking it over with his wife, McCarthy decided to apply.

“Lo and behold, I was selected,” he said after an interview process that started with close to 40 applicants.

Leaving his mark on the Orland Park Police Department

McCarthy’s time in Orland Park spans more than two-and-a-half decades. One of the things he is proud of is how the department saw lower crime rates during that time period.

“What we are here for is to prevent crime and address it if it takes place,” he said. “Crime is lower in Orland Park in 2020 than it was in 1994 when I got here. That was when the population was about 40,000 people, and now we have 12 million square feet of retail commercial space. That’s a positive thing.”

He also takes great pride in having accomplished good engagement within the community over the past 25 years — something that was missing when he first arrived in 1994.

“We went from a department that didn’t have a great deal of community policing or engagement to a community that thrives on it,” McCarthy said. “We have Cookouts with Cops, beat meetings and bike patrol. There are many things we do now that weren’t done before. We also do all of these things year-round with our citizens’ police academy, teen police academy and D.A.R.E. programs.”

McCarthy also said that while police do make mistakes at times, having strong community policing can help during those errors.

“We are going to make mistakes from time to time, and you hope you have developed relationships with the community [so] that they will trust you [will] handle those mistakes properly,” he said. “Crisis is inevitable, and you’re dealing many times in a very abnormal time. You’re bound to make a mistake, but you have to handle it and handle it the right way. Community policing helps that.”

McCarthy also said he was proud of the work the police department has done in developing its crisis intervention team — resulting in the department receiving a $3.25 million grant to enhance those services.

“We have a core group of officers and supervisors — about 40 — who handle all of what appear to be calls addressing mental illness,” he said. “We’re not experts, and we’re not trained to be experts. But we are trained to identify symptoms of mental illness and to look for the right outcomes.”

This includes involuntary committals. The police officers also follow up on the cases to ensure that the department has done as much as it can to find the individual help.

“It’s been a great program in diverting people from arrests on minor cases to mental health treatment,” he said.

During his time in Orland Park, technology also has changed drastically. But McCarthy is pleased that his department became “totally automated” over the years.

“Everything from cameras and drones to software in police cars and the officers having access to so much information,” he said.

Under McCarthy’s direction, the department also became the first municipal police agency to receive a certificate of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration for use of a drone.

Throughout his career, McCarthy also received several honors, including the inaugural Chief of Police of the Year Award from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in 2016. He also oversaw the construction of the first LEED gold certified police station in the nation.

Leading by example

During his career, McCarthy was instrumental in the establishment of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force — which shares resources and personnel to help solve major crimes in the area. Some of the cases that have stuck with McCarthy throughout the years are ones involving the task force, but he also is proud of how well his own officers and investigators have done with solving crimes — including a recent tagging and graffiti case and a fatal hit-and-run from December 2019.

“There are so many [cases] … murders, crimes against children,” he said. “What I’m amazed at is how good our officers are at solving crimes. We give them the tools, [and] other times we have used the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force. I’m just impressed all the time. They do such an incredible job.

“There are few major crimes that occur that are not solved, [but] our closure rate is extremely high and I’m very proud of the work they do.”

However, there is one case McCarthy wishes he had closure on — the 1997 murder of Kanu Shah. The 53-year-old was stabbed to death in the store he worked at on Harlem Avenue.

“It was a rather brutal murder of an owner of a shop that handled electronic equipment, like stereos,” he said. “It’s the only murder since I’ve been here that’s gone unsolved.”

Overall, McCarthy’s police career has been one other officers have tried to emulate over the years – including Mokena Police Chief Steven Vaccaro, who worked in the Tinley Park Police Department prior to his time in Mokena. Vaccaro worked with McCarthy over the years through the task force and interacted with him through other police groups.

“I watched some of the things he did and how he presented himself as a chief,” Vaccaro said. “He was one of my informal mentors, as were my former chiefs, Mike O’Connell and Steve Neubauer. I did look up to Tim for how he carried himself and how he presented himself to the public and to his officers.

“I’ve come to know and respect Tim a great deal. My wish for him is that he rides off into the sunset and enjoys his family.

“He’s had an admirable career and I have nothing but respect for him. I wish him nothing but the best in his retirement.”

Taking on a different role temporarily

In 2016, McCarthy also was tasked with filling the role of interim village manager for Orland Park.

“I enjoyed it, and it was nice to be selected for that period of time,” he said. “Village manager is a very tough job. It’s almost un-winnable, because you can’t please a mayor and six trustees all the time.”

Ultimately, McCarthy said he enjoyed serving in that role.

McCarthy got along well with Orland Park elected officials over the years, and he stated that he was fortunate to have served under both former Mayor Dan McLaughlin and current Mayor Keith Pekau.

“I give credit to both mayors who have treated the police department well through the years,” he said. “They let professionals run it and held them accountable. I’ve been blessed to have the support of two mayors and boards.”

Pekau also was appreciative of McCarthy’s service to the community.

“He’s been a consummate professional since the day I showed up,” the mayor said. “I’ve leaned on him for wise counsel and advice on many occasions. I can always count on him to give an outstanding perspective. He’s a very honest and good man, and his career reflects that.”

Looking ahead

McCarthy said there is a lot he will miss about being police chief.

“I’ll miss working with so many people … even members of the media from time to time,” he said, with a laugh. “There’s so many — all the members of our community, the school districts, businesses, different shopping malls and many of our residents.”

McCarthy said that during the recent weeks of “civil disturbance,” community members delivered water, food and gift cards to the police station.

“We had people working 12- and 14-hour shifts, and the outpouring of support was unbelievable,” he said. “It was just incredible what happened, and it was great support from the community.”

McCarthy has a few things to wrap up before he retires on Aug. 1, but his top priority is continuing to keep officers healthy during the pandemic. He even appointed an infection control officer.

As for post-retirement plans, McCarthy said there is a long list of chores that he has been putting off that were given to him by his wife of 47 years, Carol. Having lived in Orland Park for 30 years, the two plan to remain in town.

“I can assure [you] I have no plans to do anything at this time,” he said. “The reason why I continued to work was so I don’t have to fix all the things my wife wanted fixed. We’ll maybe do a little traveling, although now it’s not particularly good to travel. [But] I have no definite plans.”

McCarthy also is not looking at running for elected office any time soon. In 1998, he had an unsuccessful bid for Illinois Secretary of State.

“I don’t think so,” he said of running for office again. “I did that once many years ago, and I have no plans at this time.”

Overall, McCarthy is just thankful to have had such a successful career — twice.

“It’s been great,” he said. “I have had two wonderful careers in law enforcement. It’s very tough, and it’s not easy. But it has been a rewarding career. If you like to help people, it’s a great place to be.

“It has been very fulfilling, and there is nothing I would rather have done for 48 years.”