On Thursday May 11, 2018, Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel was elected to serve his second term as vice president of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (NIPAS). Prior to his election as vice president, Chief Weitzel served as a trustee on the NIPAS board and as treasurer.
Chief Weitzel stated, "I’m truly humbled by the honor to serve this great consortium of police agencies in Northern Illinois. I’ll strive to represent the highest standards of excellence and service of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System and will ensure that our officers are prepared for emergency service team missions and mobile field force operations for large crowd control situations."
NIPAS is a joint venture of suburban municipalities' police departments in the Chicago metropolitan area. Fifteen police agencies created NIPAS in 1983 to ensure effective police mutual aid in times of natural disaster. From these humble beginnings, the system has grown to include law enforcement agencies of 101 cities, villages and towns in five counties.
The governing board consists entirely of police chiefs who oversee NIPAS and approve its annual budget, which serves as the basis for all NIPAS expenditures. A number of agencies pay a set annual fee to participate, thus providing both the staff and finances needed to manage the system.
Two major functions of the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System are the special tactical squad known as the Emergency Service Team (EST), and a special crowd control team known as the Mobile Field Force (MFF). Riverside Police Department has officers serving in both the Emergency Service Team and the Mobile Field Force.
Board members include, President Chief Clint Herdegen, Libertyville Police Department, Secretary Chief James Kruger, Oak Brook Police and Treasurer Director Timothy Hayden, Addison Police.