After a 21-year career with the Macomb Police Department, Operations Commander Tom Duvall will have his 'last call' Aug. 29.
Duvall, a 1988 Macomb High School graduate and 1997 Western Illinois University graduate, has been a member of the local police force since June 14, 2004 when he joined as a patrol officer. A recognition ceremony will be held beginning at 3 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29 in the City Hall Community Room. A retirement reception will be held from 5-8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4 at Park Place in downtown Macomb.
While Duvall began his career with MPD in 2004, he began his law enforcement service in 1997 as a loss preventionist for Wal-Mart, before moving on to the Illinois Department of Corrections in Mt. Sterling from 1999 until joining the Macomb force. During his years with MPD, he has served as a field training officer, union steward, Macomb Police Explorer advisor, officer in charge, investigator, department fleet manager and impound lot manager. Duvall was promoted to interim operations commander in March 2023 and operations commander in August 2023. Duvall has also served on the Health Insurance Employee Committee and on the Police Pension Board.
'As an MHS graduate and a resident of Macomb, making Macomb my home ('Macombie Homie for life'), I chose this career path to make Macomb a better place, and I wanted a career where I was constantly on the move and being challenged,' Duvall shared. 'My dad was career military and my grandfather was a Quincy firefighter, so you could say service to community is in my DNA.'
While the core part of the job he was hired to do has not changed over the years – to protect and to serve – what has changed are the additional duties, training and state mandates increasing, without additional staff or budget, he noted. He's also seen an increase in calls, as well as an uptick in critical incidents.
'When I think about critical incidents, I think of two fairly recent events: the house party shooting on North Johnson and the North Normal incident where two of my fellow officers were shot in the line of duty while serving a search warrant,' Duvall stated. 'Another change I've seen is the implementation of the Safe-T-Act, which increases the incidents of repeat offenders without any consequences due to no-cash bail.'
In spite of the challenges and changes, Duvall said the best thing about his job throughout his 20-plus years has been the freedom to patrol the community he loves, without being restricted to a certain 'zone' or area. Another perk? The ability to go home for lunch or dinner, or using his break to say goodnight to his kids, Hailey and Zach, when they were little.
'There are so many perks to being a police officer in a small town, especially one you grew up in,' Duvall pointed out. 'I have always enjoyed interacting with members of our community on a personal and professional level on a daily basis.
'At a smaller agency like Macomb, a patrol officer operates on different levels, often serving as a counselor, problem-solver and mediator, giving parental advice, making crucial split second decisions, protecting the public, making arrests and dealing with other agencies like schools, the fire department, public works, among others. There is more to the job then just making traffic stops and taking people to jail.'
What's next for the career lawman? Restoring his vintage Chevy Nova, spending time with his family, including his three grandchildren and spending more time riding his motorcycle … not necessarily in that order. In short, Duvall said … he plans on 'enjoying life.' However, he's not quite ready to stop working. For several years, he's had an online business selling specialty vehicles, such as mobility vans, bucket trucks and the like, and he has also purchased a tow truck to expand his side hustle.
'I am incredibly thankful for the experiences I've had and the opportunities the department has given me over the years,' Duvall concluded. 'It has been an absolute honor to serve alongside some of the finest officers, deputies, dispatchers, jailers and support staff. We truly work for one of the best departments in the region.'
