Richard Landi, a veteran of the Rock Island Police Department, has been named as the new police chief.
Rock Island city officials made the announcement Tuesday, April 26, that Mr. Landi had been promoted to the top cop position.
“Chief Landi is a strong leader and will do an excellent job as police chief. His decades of experience and expertise will serve the city well,” said Mayor Mike Thoms.
Mr. Landi has served as the interim chief of police since Nov. 1, 2021, overseeing the daily operations of the city’s police department.
He began his career with the Rock Island Police Department in December 1993, serving as a patrol officer in the field operations.
He rose through the department’s ranks, serving in the rank of sergeant from 2003 to 2010 and the rank of lieutenant until 2020 when he was appointed as deputy chief of police.
During his 28-year tenure with the department, he has served in a variety of roles, including: field training officer, firearms and use of force instructor, assistant watch commander and watch commander for the Field Operations Division, deputy commander of the Technical Services Division, deputy commander of the police department’s Emergency Response Team, deputy commander of the ILEAS Region 2 WMD Special Response Team, and agent in the Office of Professional Standards.
Prior to joining the City of Rock Island, Mr. Landi was an auxiliary police officer for Milan, and jail administrator for the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department.
He attended Black Hawk College and received state certification from the University of Illinois Police Training Institute for Basic Correctional Officer, Basic Law Enforcement Officer, and Master Firearms Instructor.
