Vandergrift Retiring After 27 Years With Police Department

After 27 years of service with the Lake Zurich Police Department, Deputy Police Chief Terry Vandergrift is retiring.

Vandergrift called Lake Zurich a great community and said the police department has become one of the best police departments in the state.

"I hope the community continues to grow and prosper," said Vandergrift.

The village board honored Vandergrift at its May 16 meeting. Village President Suzanne Branding read a proclamation that not only thanked Vandergrift for his service but also detailed his long career with the Lake Zurich Police Department.

Vandergrift was appointed as a police officer in 1984. During his 27 years with the department, Vandergrift served as a patrol and traffic sergeant, commander of patrol, and deputy police chief. He is a member of the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association, the Illinois Police Chiefs Association and the International Police Chiefs Association.

In 2009, Vandergrift received the Enrique Camarena "One Person Can Make a Difference Award" from the 19th Judicial District and the Lake County Department of Public Health.

Police Chief Patrick Finlon said he and Vandergrift started their careers at the Lake Zurich Police Department within a couple of months of each other. They attended the police academy together and participated in high-speed chases together.

"Terry has been a very good yin to my yang, as he would say," said Finlon. "He's been a very good deputy chief. We've been together 27 years. There are marriages that don't last that long."

Finlon said Vandergrift loves being a police officer and was even out making traffic stops just before attending the May 16 meeting.

After he retires at the end of this month, Vandergrift will serve as an investigator with the Lake County State's Attorney's Office.