New police commander has fought organized crime, found stolen art

(Above) 18th district police commander William Dunn (right), Secretary of State Jesse White, and Kathy Posner, former assistant legislative inspector general for the City of Chicago, at a charity event at Dick’s Last Resort in 2012. (Click on image to view larger version.)

April 22, 2015 – Two and a half years ago, when he took the job, William Dunn said police commanders are rotated for various reasons but it is “the natural course.”

Over the weekend, Dunn himself was among 19 high-level transfers at Chicago Police Department. He is now North Area Commander in CPD’s Bureau of Detectives, reporting to the bureau’s chief and deputy chief. He will oversee a property crimes section and a violent crimes section.

Dunn, who has been with CPD for 30 years, was promoted to 18th district police commander in September 2012, replacing Kenneth Angarone, who had been commander since September 2009. With headquarters at 1160 North Larrabee Avenue, the district stretches from the main branch of the Chicago River north to Fullerton Avenue and from the north branch east to Lake Michigan.

In December, Dunn said River North is “one of the safest neighborhoods in the city,” with total number of crime incidents down last year from the previous year.

The new commander is George Devereux (left). He has 28 years of experience with CPD, serving as a police captain and executive officer in the 6th district.

Before that, he was a lieutenant in the narcotics division of CPD’s Bureau of Organized Crime.

In 2008, Devereux was investigating gun trafficking by Chicago-area gangs when his team found a van on the south side that contained eight stolen paintings worth $100,000.

In a federal lawsuit filed in 2010, he testified on behalf of the City of Chicago against police officers who claimed they were owed overtime for monitoring their Blackberry devices while off-duty. Devereux told the court he monitored his Blackberry while off-duty without expecting to be paid because he did “whatever I have to do to get the job done.”

Devereux has a master’s degree in public administration and since 2013 has been an adjunct professor at Calumet College of St. Joseph. He teaches a course on Public Safety Environment and Organization.