The City of Winchester is extending an offer to a long-time Greene County law enforcement officer to take over as Chief of Police.
After closed session Wednesday night, the City of Winchester voted to extend an offer to former Roodhouse Chief of Police Steve Speeks to become the new chief.
The city has been without a chief since Caleb Handy stepped down last month. Mayor Rex McIntire explains that Handy was overextended with his full-time job with the Illinois Department of Corrections: “He did a great job for us, but he works full for the Department of Corrections in Jacksonville. It was just too much for him to try to be police chief here, work up there full time, and he’s a family man now, too. He’s got a life, so he decided to resign at the end of last month. He’s staying with us to help out. Mr. Speeks had came to me. He had heard about our job opening. I had some other people recommend [Speeks]. In fact, everybody I talked to had high praise for him. I’m hoping that he’ll accept the job and do a good job for us.”
Speeks has spent the last handful of years working as a Capitol Police Investigator for the Illinois Secretary of State Police. Prior to that, he served as Chief of Police for the City of Roodhouse for 20 years.
McIntire says that Handy will also continue to work part-time in Bluffs and Winchester as a police officer as time allows.
McIntire did not give a potential start date for Speeks’ or when the offer will be extend formally.