Evanston's First Black Police Chief Bill Logan Dies At 92

EVANSTON, IL — A pioneering figure in the history of Evanston died over the weekend.

William "Bill" Logan Jr., the first Black person to become chief of the Evanston Police Department, passed away Sunday, according to a statement from his family.

"We are devastated. We know many of you are too. We have learned that not only was he our dad, but he was also a father figure, and so much more to so many people," his family announced. "Although the road got rocky, he made his move in peace and in the comfort of his home surrounded by his family."

Logan served in the Korean War before becoming a police officer in Evanston in 1957. He went on to become the city's first Black sergeant, lieutenant, captain, deputy chief and chief of police. At one point, he was awarded the department's highest award for valor for risking his life to free a hostage from a gunman.

In 1958, Logan co-founded the Chessmen Club of the North Shore, which has been dedicated to providing scholarships to Evanston Township High School graduates and food to those in need for more than six decades. and the

In 1965, Logan was tasked with serving as the bodyguard for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a fair housing rally in Winnetka. "Go and get your degrees," he recalled King saying, according to Shorefront Journal.

In 1968, he co-founded the Fellowship of African-American Men youth basketball program, where he coached for 15 years and served as vice president.

Logan served as Evanston's police chief from 1984-87 before retiring to become the director of security at his alma mater, Evanston Township High School, where he remained until 2006.

In 2020, city officials named the gymnasium at the Robert Crown Center in honor of the Logan family.

“It is next to impossible to find a family who has invested more time or worked harder to make Evanston a safer, better educated and more just community than the Logan Family,” Denise Barreto, president of the city's parks and recreation board, said in a statement at the time.

In 2022, the Evanston City Council designated a portion of McDaniel Avenue as William “Bill” Logan Jr. Way in recognition of his lifelong dedication to the community.

"I am elated, humbled, and my heart is filled with joy to be recognized like this by my community. My life has been a journey with many challenges and life lessons acquired along the way, and this honor makes it all worthwhile," Logan said at the time.

"For me, community service is an important part of my life, as is the feeling it gives me to help other people. The most valuable thing that I have learned is to serve God by serving humanity, and to serve humanity by serving my community—that has made me who and what I am," he said.

Logan closed his remarks to the City Council by sharing something his father and namesake used to tell him, "'There's a destiny that makes us brothers; none goes away alone. What we give unto the lives of others comes back into our own.'"

The Logan family is planning services and has requested privacy as they mourn their loss. They asked that those wishing to leave messages of remembrance call the dedicated line at 847-305-4122.