After more than 25 years of dedicated service to the Evanston community, Interim Police Chief Aretha Barnes has announced that she will retire from the Evanston Police Department on January 3, 2022, according to a City news release this morning.
Barnes has been the department’s interim police chief since June 2021 and previously served as deputy chief, overseeing the department’s Field Operations, Investigations, and Support Services divisions.
“For more than two decades, Interim Chief Barnes has served the Evanston community with honor, dedication and integrity,” said Interim City Manager Kelley A. Gandurski. “I greatly appreciate her many years of outstanding service to our community and her willingness to step up and lead our police department over the last six months. I wish her the very best in retirement.”
“Interim Chief Barnes has spent the better part of her career making Evanston a safer, more welcoming place to live, work and visit,” said Mayor Daniel Biss. “I would like to thank Chief Barnes in particular for her exceptional leadership over the last six months. While her retirement is a tremendous loss for Evanston, I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her and even more grateful for the lasting impact she’s made on our community. Her service to Evanston has been invaluable and she will be greatly missed.”
Prior to joining the Evanston Police Department, Barnes was a police officer with the University of Illinois Police Department. She began her law enforcement career with the United States Air Force as a law enforcement specialist.
The City will make an announcement regarding the appointment of an interim police chief to fill Barnes’ role in the coming weeks.