The Macomb Police Department on Tuesday officially promoted current officers Renata Sturlic to Sergeant and Troy Shoudel as the Operations Commander.
During a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday at City Hall, Police Chief Jeff Hamer read a statement by Mayor Mike Inman, saying their promotions were about safety of the public, the wellbeing of their team, and the integrity of their badge.
"The leader is the person others look to in times of uncertainty – the one who sets the tone of their words, and even more importantly, their actions," Hamer read. "The best leaders are servants first. They listen before they speak. They guide without arrogance, and they make decisions not for personal gain before the greater good in our profession."
Hamer has tapped Sturlic as a future leader of the MPD and has expressed endless praise for her work in Macomb, her hometown.
Growing up, she was in Macomb's Police Explorers Program before becoming an MP. Since joining the Macomb Police Department, she said she's 'enjoyed every second.'
Sturlic said she's excited and grateful for the opportunity to be in a position to motivate others. She said she knew from a young age that she wanted to be a police officer.
"I think I've always just had this really strong sense of right and wrong, growing up," she said. "I was the oldest kid in my family, took care of my younger brother, all my little cousins, and so I've always just wanted to right the wrongs of the world."
Shoudel grew up in a rural area near Champaign-Urbana and studied law enforcement at Western Illinois University. While in Macomb, he met his wife, who was a member of the National Guard.
He joked that he grew enamored with Macomb as a 'big city' compared to where he grew up.
"There's a Walmart and everything here – are you kidding me?," he said with a laugh.
"What I like about Macomb from a policing standpoint is, I can pursue any of the things I thought I would be pursuing in law enforcement in this community without some of the pitfalls of being in a very major city, and some of the challenges that come with that. So it's a really great fit for me of the places that I have a choice to raise a family, it's a top choice for me. So we're not going anywhere."
