ILETSB Executive Institute

05/25/2026

05/21/2026

We at the Executive Institute are excited to share that Katharine Manning, President of Blackbird and author of The Empathetic Workplace, will be a featured speaker at Together We Rise: A CIT Resilience Event on June 24!
Her session, “Together We Rise: Sustaining Humanity on the Front Lines,” promises to be both powerful and inspiring. Katharine is a respected and experienced leader in empathy practices, and her passion truly resonates with anyone who has the opportunity to hear her speak.

This is a session you won’t want to miss!

We are honored to announce that Katharine Manning, President of Blackbird and author of The Empathetic Workplace, will be a featured speaker at Together We Rise: A CIT Resilience Event on June 24th!

For over 25 years, Katharine has been at the forefront of trauma and crisis response. She spent 15 years as a Senior Attorney Advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she guided the DOJ’s response to victims in some of the nation's most complex and challenging cases—from terrorism and mass casualty events to large-scale financial fraud and child exploitation.

At our June 24th event, Katharine will bring this unparalleled expertise to the audience. Attendees will learn actionable, field-tested strategies to support victims and communities in crisis, while also learning crucial techniques to safeguard their own mental and emotional resilience.

This is a must-attend session for anyone in crisis intervention.

📅 Date: June 24
📍 Secure your spot here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/vmk6uac

05/20/2026

Thank you Captain Bilbrey for your years of service, friendship, and dedication to WIU…your impact will be felt for years to come.

Wishing Captain Bilbrey a happy, healthy, and well-deserved retirement!

We have announced our promoted Captain, but we haven’t yet announced the Retirement of Curtis Bilbrey.
Curtis Bilbrey is a WIU Alum and lifelong Macomb resident who cares deeply for WIU and its surrounding community.
Captain Bilbrey served our campus from 2005 to this year. With distinction, Curt rose from patrol to corporal, then to sergeant and finally to Captain. He earned each rank with hard work, leadership, and unwavering commitment to this department.
He protected the students, staff, alumni, and all those connected to WIU for nearly 21 years.
His dedication, sacrifice and leadership will leave a lasting legacy on this department and the community we serve.
We truly wish Captain Bilbrey the very best retirement!

05/07/2026

Earlier this week, Executive Institute staff conducted the inaugural offering and beta test of Strategic Command—a new executive-level training designed to elevate leadership effectiveness and reinforce professionalism within senior-level law enforcement roles.

This program focuses on the strategic, ethical, and organizational responsibilities essential to leading agencies at the highest level in today’s complex policing environment. The initial session provided a valuable opportunity to assess content, delivery, and overall impact.

We sincerely appreciate the participation and thoughtful feedback from everyone involved. Your insights are instrumental as we refine and strengthen this important new initiative.

We look forward to continuing development of the Strategic Command series and to better supporting law enforcement executives at the highest level across the great state of Illinois with high-quality, relevant leadership training. Please be on the lookout for more information about this new programming, including details on the next offering, coming soon.

04/29/2026

The ILETSB Executive Institute is on the move today! 🚓

Program Director Derek Carle is in Wheeling, facilitating a REx training in partnership with the I Love U Guys Foundation, while Program Manager Barend Wurth is in Lombard, facilitating a duty to intervene training.

04/28/2026

Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute staff were in Lombard today facilitating Case Law training for command staff and supervisors, presented by Anthony Bandiero.

04/28/2026

Proud of you, Chief Watts—your leadership truly reflects service, integrity, and commitment.

We are proud to share that our OPS Director, Chief Watts, was invited to serve as the keynote speaker for the Police Training Institute Class 2601 graduation. This honor was extended by Joe Gallo and Tod Myers.

With over 30 years of experience in policing, Chief Watts delivered valuable insight, advice, and encouragement to the graduating class—an inspiring moment made even more special as it included two of our very own officers.

Congratulations to all the graduates, and a special thank you to Chief Watts for representing our department with such professionalism and leadership. We are incredibly proud to call him our Chief!

04/23/2026

History was made today!

We are incredibly proud to announce the graduation of the inaugural cohort of the nation's FIRST Law Enforcement Crisis Response Therapy Canine Certification Program.

In partnership with the Cook County Sheriff's Office (Official), 11 certified therapy canine teams from seven different agencies across Illinois have completed rigorous training to support de-escalation, mental health response, and trauma-informed policing.

Join us in congratulating the inaugural class of certified teams:

🐾 Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board - Deputy Director Jennifer Wooldridge & K9 Trooper
🐾 Cook County Sheriff's Office (Official)- Director Jerry Roman & K9 Zilly, Jacquelyn Hedderman & K9 Winston, Edgar Ortiz Antunez & K9 Buddy, Veronica Grigorio & K9 Petals
🐾 Central Illinois Police Training Center (MTU 7) - Brian Fengel & K9 Ghost
🐾 Kendall County Sheriff's Office - Stewart Blouin & K9 Snow
🐾 Orland Park Police Department - Gordon Przislicki & K9 Holly
🐾 SIUE Police Department - Lorenzo Curtis Schwartzkopf & K9 Chase, Tyson Wagner & K9 Max
🐾 Worth Police Department - Mike Cozzi & K9 Louie

📸 View the graduation photo gallery here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sDOBpulibj7GVPG5gMk7wBW8BwKg1yRk
📄 Read the full release: https://www.illinois.gov/news/release.html?releaseid=32427

04/23/2026

Our hearts are with everyone at the East Peoria Police Department during this difficult time as they mourn the loss of Detective Vester. Our thoughts are with Detective Vester’s family, friends, and colleagues as they grieve this profound loss.

The Peoria Police Department extends its deepest condolences and unwavering support to our brothers and sisters at the East Peoria Police Department as they mourn the loss of Detective Vester.
As a resident of Peoria County, his impact was felt throughout our community.
We keep his family, friends, and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers as they navigate this heartbreaking loss.