Retirement of Deputy Police Chief Demitrous Cook
Evanston Deputy Chief Demitrous Cook, Appointed New Chief of Police for the Village of Glenwood, Illinois.
Whether it was negotiating the often tough streets of Chicago’s Altgeld Gardens public housing projects, or befriending a child in some of Evanston’s neighborhoods, Deputy Chief Demitrous Cook had the ability to reach across all sectors of society. As a youth Deputy Chief Cook was selected by the prestigious Upward Bound Program, resulting in his attending and graduating from Southern Illinois University. In January of 1983, Deputy Chief Cook was then hired by Northwestern University’s Public Safety Department and in October of 1984 Deputy Chief Cook began his career as an Evanston Police Officer.
As a patrolman, Deputy Chief Cook quickly distinguished himself and was transferred to the Crime Prevention Bureau, where he was one of Evanston’s first Foot Patrol Officers and was acknowledged as Crime Prevention Officer of the Year. Circulating throughout Evanston neighborhoods, Deputy Chief Cook established a level of trust, carefully cultivating citizen relationships. Between 1988 and 1995 Deputy Chief Cook worked the streets of Evanston in the Gang Crimes Bureau and the Neighborhood Enforcement Team. In 1996 Deputy Chief Cook was promoted to the rank of Sergeant, serving in patrol operations and in 1998 once again was promoted in the rank of Lieutenant, a rank now classified as Commander, where he served in the Investigative Services Division. In 2004, then Commander Cook was promoted to his current rank of Deputy Chief, where he served in the Support Services Division and the Investigative Services Division.
Deputy Chief Cook continually advanced his education, attaining a Master of Science Degree from Lewis University, attending Harvard’s Senior Management Institute, Northwestern’s Senior Management Leadership Program, and School of Police Staff and Command. Deputy Chief Cook was also very active as a board member for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers.
During his career as an Evanston Police Officer, Deputy Chief Cook was the recipient of over 70 citizen Letters of Appreciation, 11 Certificates of Recognition, 7 Honorable Mentions and 5 Department Commendations, and was also recognized as Officer of the Year, by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
On December 17th, 2010, Deputy Chief Demitrous Cook will conclude his distinguished 26 year career as an Evanston Police Officer, becoming the Village of Glenwood’s Chief of Police. During this time Deputy Chief Cook established a reputation as a trusted liaison between the Evanston Police Department and the Evanston community. As a police officer, Deputy Chief Cook was a “cop’s cop” always leading by example and demonstrating the Evanston way of Policing, his service and dedication will be missed.