Lyons Appoints Veteran Law Enforcement Leader as New Police Chief

Submitted by Ray Hanania.

The Village of Lyons Board of Trustees welcomed the appointment of former Chicago Police Commander James M. Keating as the village’s new Police Chief at its board meeting Feb. 2.

Keating served 35 years in public safety service including as Deputy Patrol Chief for the Chicago Police Department, as Chief of Security for the CTA, and as Director of Security at Navy Pier.

Mayor Christopher Getty, who touted the appointment of Keating as a great acquisition for Lyons, said the village is extremely fortunate to have such a strong individual with vast knowledge and experience with Jim Keating.

“Chief Keating comes to Lyons with a lot of experience and training and great ideas to help keep Lyons one of the safest communities in the Chicago suburbs,” Mayor Getty said.

“We’re all very excited to work with him and develop programs to further improve our community, raise public awareness, and develop programs to educate and engage our residents more.”

Keating said that his priority is the safety and support of the village’s residents.

“That is the number one goal. Working with the community is the most important thing a police chief can do,” Keating said.

“I serve the community and I want to help be a problem-solver for them. The community is looking for someone who is pro-active and I intend to reach out and develop relationships with the community for the betterment of the community. I also want to set a good, professional example for the people I work with. This is a good department, but my philosophy is we can always do better.”

Keating, 61, is married. He and his wife Jeanne have four children.