The Evanston Police Department swore in two new sergeants in a ceremony Thursday afternoon. Susan Trigourea and Kenneth Kutella were promoted from officers to sergeants before their families and several fellow officers at 3:30 p.m. in the department’s squad room.
Trigourea worked in EPD’s patrol division prior to her promotion. She is the department’s only state-approved humane investigator, and has worked in many animal cruelty cases during her 20 years with the department.
She completed a humane treatment training program in 2000 with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and has since made presentations to EPD’s patrol and investigation divisions on animal cruelty violations.
Her other responsibilities include making traffic arrests and responding to complaints. Her new position will give her more administrative responsibilities, said Cmdr. Michael Perry.
Trigourea said she hopes she can continue to investigate animal cases, but is excited about her new role as a supervisor.
“I’m up to the challenge,” she said. “I’m excited. I feel wonderful.”
Kutella has 21 years of experience at EPD and has most recently worked in the juvenile investigation division. EPD has not yet assigned Kutella a division after his promotion, Perry said.
“The promotions will help with the supervisor part of the department,” he said. “They were a long time coming, and both officers deserve it.”
Tuesday’s promotions give the department a total of 19 sergeants to help oversee a force of 161 sworn officers. The ceremony comes three days after EPD Chief Frank Kaminski announced that crime in Evanston has fallen to its lowest rate in 29 years.
Ald. Arthur Newman (1st) attributed the falling crime to the city’s ability to maintain a large and professional police force.
Mayor Lorraine H. Morton also recently commended the success of EPD in reducing crime in Evanston and expects more progress in the future.
“We have a full force out there working,” Morton told The Daily. “Our police force has some good things that they are doing.”
