When Homewood police Chief Denise McGrath got her first job at the department in 1990, she was a dispatcher. At the time, she said, she never would have thought she would one day hold the top job.
“I think myself and everyone else would have laughed about that,” McGrath said. “At that time, there weren’t very many women in law enforcement in general, let alone women who were chiefs. So no, I think if someone had predicted that, we would’ve all thought they were crazy.”
McGrath’s last day on the job will be Friday after more than three decades with the department.
“This just feels like the right time, as far as personally and professionally,” McGrath said. “The next generation is ready to move up in the department, and it just kind of in my gut feels like it’s the right time to go.”
Her time at the department has been one long learning experience, she said.
“Every day I have learned something. You know, it’s not a routine ‘come in and do the same thing day after day’ kind of job,” McGrath said. “Just when you think you’ve known it all or seen it all, something completely unexpected happens.”
After working dispatch in South Holland and Homewood and completing a basic law enforcement course at the University of Illinois Police Training Institute in Champaign, McGrath worked at the South Holland Police Department from 1992 to 1995. While there, she worked in a variety of positions, including as a paramedic.
In May 1995, she returned to the Homewood Police Department as an officer. McGrath has worked as a detective, public information officer and patrol sergeant.
“I can’t believe how fast 34 years has gone by. That’s amazing to me. Like, blink of an eye,” McGrath said. “If I had it to do all over again, I absolutely would.”
McGrath has seen police work change dramatically over the course of her career, she said, especially with the adoption of digital methods.
When she was first working as a patrol officer, she said, there were no computers in patrol cars. Officers had to take all notes on calls and cases on notepads.
“When a call came out, you had to scribble the description down, and the address and everything,” McGrath said. “It’s amazing, what has changed.”
Another example is fingerprints, she said. When she first started, fingerprints were taken and submitted manually on a card with ink; now fingerprinting is all digitally processed.
“Somebody starting today, what is that going to be for them, 30 years from now?” McGrath said. “It’s what makes it hard to leave.”
She said that the most important piece of advice she would give new police officers is to always remember why they wanted to do the job in the first place.
“Always do the best you can. Work the hardest you can. What becomes a routine call for a police officer is not routine to the person you’re dealing with,” McGrath said. “Handle it how you would want you or your family or someone you care about treated, during the course of that call.”
Though she’s leaving the Homewood department, McGrath’s career in law enforcement is not over. She will move to a position working as an investigator with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office investigations bureau.
“I certainly think a normal 40-hour work week will feel like retirement to me,” McGrath said.
Beyond the new job, McGrath said she’s not sure yet what she will do with her newfound free time.
“It’s, I think, an opportunity for me to do things I’ve never done before, and see what the universe has in mind for me,” McGrath said.
McGrath’s final salary as chief was $166,491, according to a report published by the village for the 2025-2026 year.
Homewood announced Tuesday its new police chief will be Thomas Johnson, the deputy chief. Johnson spent seven years on the Glenwood police force before joining the Homewood department in 2009.
“Tom leads an exceptional team that is eager to work alongside him as he continues the department’s and community’s legacy of progress and excellence,” Village Manager Napoleon Haney said in a statement.
Johnson will be sworn in at the Village Board meeting on Jan. 27.
elewis@chicagotribune.com
