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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Chief Mike Riley retired from his position as | ||||||
| 3 | Chief of Police of the Village of New Baden on July 1, 2015; | ||||||
| 4 | and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, A young Mike Riley moved with his family to New | ||||||
| 6 | Baden in 1957; he graduated from Wesclin High School in 1970; | ||||||
| 7 | from there, he pursued his higher education at Southwestern | ||||||
| 8 | Illinois College and then transferred to Southern Illinois | ||||||
| 9 | University in Edwardsville to receive his bachelor's degree; | ||||||
| 10 | and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, After college, Mike Riley began his career as a | ||||||
| 12 | patrolman in New Baden under Chief Bob Volmer; he worked hard | ||||||
| 13 | as a patrolman and worked his way up the ranks to become Chief | ||||||
| 14 | of the Department in April of 1979; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, As Chief, Mike Riley helped to serve his community | ||||||
| 16 | through many hardships, including the devastating tornado that | ||||||
| 17 | struck New Baden in December of 1982 which killed 2 people, | ||||||
| 18 | injured over 64 people, and damaged over 140 homes, causing | ||||||
| 19 | nearly $8 million in damage; during this dark time, Chief Riley | ||||||
| 20 | served as a bright light by leading and managing rescues, | ||||||
| 21 | coordinating with nearly 200 first responders from local | ||||||
| 22 | communities, and assisting with subsequent clean-up efforts | ||||||
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| 1 | over the following days and weeks; and
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Mike Riley has always strived to improve himself | ||||||
| 3 | to provide better service for the people under his care; in | ||||||
| 4 | 1990, he traveled to the FBI National Academy in Quantico, | ||||||
| 5 | Virginia, where he graduated as a member of the 162nd Session | ||||||
| 6 | of the prestigious training for Police Executives; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, In recognition of his outstanding service, Mike | ||||||
| 8 | Riley was recognized as the Alumnus of the Year at Wesclin High | ||||||
| 9 | School in 1993; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Mike Riley has served the New Baden community for | ||||||
| 11 | nearly 40 years under 4 Village Presidents and has commanded | ||||||
| 12 | over 60 officers during his tenure; throughout his career, he | ||||||
| 13 | has served as a great example for officers and members of the | ||||||
| 14 | community alike; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, The City of New Baden and the members of this body | ||||||
| 16 | are grateful for the service Mike Riley has provided during his | ||||||
| 17 | tenure and extend our thanks to him for the 40 years that he | ||||||
| 18 | has dedicated to the safekeeping and betterment of the New | ||||||
| 19 | Baden community; therefore, be it
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| 20 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 21 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
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| 1 | congratulate Chief Mike Riley on the occasion of his retirement | ||||||
| 2 | and recognize him for his outstanding achievements and | ||||||
| 3 | contributions to the New Baden community; and be it further
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| 4 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 5 | presented to Chief Mike Riley and the New Baden Police | ||||||
| 6 | Department as a symbol of our respect and esteem.
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