Twenty-nine years ago, as a driver for United Parcel Services, Cmdr. Chuck Wernick had no idea that he’d have such a enormous run-in with the law.

But after quitting his job as a UPS driver in 1972 after running into a former supervisor who had joined the Evanston Police Department and told him the department was looking to hire, Wernick signed on to EPD.

Wernick retires today after 29 years of service in Evanston.

“If I hated the place, I’d be eager to leave,” he told a colleague on the phone last Friday. “But it’s quite the contrary – it was a great place.”

Wernick will remain active in police work, becoming the new police chief of Highwood. In Highwood he replaces retiring Chief Paul Kolessar after being selected over 65 other candidates by the Highwood City Council.

Among Wernick’s credentials for the job: finding a ton of marijuana and the department’s first kilo of cocaine.

And Wernick says the people he works with and his attachment to the citizens of Evanston are making his promotion to Highwood police chief the hardest he has ever dealt with.

Wernick started his police career as a patrol officer and had worked his way up to commander by September 1998, earning a Master’s degree in criminal justice from Lewis University in Romeoville to qualify for a top spot.

“I’ve enjoyed it today as much as I did when I started,” Wernick said. “My career has been varied and interesting.”

During a four-year stint as a narcotics detective, Wernick was on the team of investigators who discovered EPD’s largest seizure of drugs – one ton of marijuana and $35,000 cash.

“As a copper, he’s tenacious,” said Lt. Joe Bellino of EPD. “Once he gets his hands on something he doesn’t leave any stone unturned.”

Wernick’s drive to get to the bottom of things led to the creation of the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force, a multi-department group that investigates homicides in 13 North Shore communities.

He said the task force was put together in November 1997 after the 1993 murders at Brown’s Chicken & Pasta in Palatine went unsolved.

“Charlie’s always been dependable,” said EPD Police Chief Frank Kaminski, who was trained by Wernick 27 years ago. “Even when we were together on the streets, he was always eager to work a case and work it until its end.”

Under Wernick’s leadership the task force won three awards, including the Cook County Crime Stoppers Award for solving the 1999 murder of former Northwestern basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong. Since the task force started, it has yet to leave a homicide unsolved.

“It’s always nice to leave when you’re on top of your game,” he said about having to end his job with the task force. “You always try to develop good people to take care of the team when you go.

“(The task force) was my baby. What made it successful was the caliber of people working for me – that’s important in this business.”

Wernick said the most valuable lesson he learned as a police officer in Evanston was to develop a strong relationship with the community.

“The old-school belief was that a police department could solve the community’s problems,” Wernick said. “You can’t get as far when the community has no input.”

Wernick, who is currently in charge of support and investigative services bureaus, has filled in as the department’s press information officer since July. Aside from daily chats with police reporters from The Daily and other local papers, Wernick has worked with students enrolled in courses at the Medill School of Journalism, giving them the low-down on the cops beat.

“He’s always willing to take on more responsibility and help other people,” Bellino said. “He has a tremendous sense of humor, which helps keep things in perspective. And he’s a truly a good friend.”

Wernick’s new job in Highwood, a suburb north of Evanston, will require less delegation and more responsibility, he said. The department, with just 15 officers and five squad cars, is significantly smaller than EPD.

When not wearing his police blues, Wernick is taking his wife of 33 years out on his powerboat on Lake Michigan. Otherwise, he likes taking his 22- and 25-years-old sons fishing in Canada.

“My one regret is, as my kids got older, they said, ‘You didn’t spend enough time with us,'” Wernick said. “The phone would ring in the middle of the night and I’d have to go to work.

“But I have no regrets as far as the job is concerned. It’s been a real honor.”

The Daily’s Jackie Mah contributed to this report.