Thomas Weitzel

Police Chief (Ret.)

Chief of Police Thomas Q. Weitzel has been with the Riverside Police Department since September 1984. Before joining Riverside, he was a patrolman for the Chicago Zoological Park Police at Brookfield Zoo.
Chief Weitzel has held various positions within the Riverside Police Department, including Crime Prevention Coordinator, Evidence Technician, Public Information Officer (P.I.O.), MCAT member (Major Crime Assistance Team), Field Training Officer, and Internal Affairs Supervisor.
Chief Weitzel holds a master’s in criminal social justice from Lewis University and is an Illinois Law Enforcement Executive Institute’s Executive Management program graduate. He was recently honored as a Certified Police Chief for the State of Illinois.
He graduated from Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Staff and Command and served as Vice President of Class 115. Chief Weitzel holds certificates of graduation from The Institute of Police Technology and Management, University of North Florida, The National Crime Prevention Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, F.B.I. National Academy, Quantico Virginia, Session 218, The Police Executive Role in the 21st Century, Bloomington, Illinois, and the Law Enforcement Executive Development Program (LEEDA) F.B.I. Chief Weitzel is a Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute’s Center for Law Enforcement Ethics graduate from Richardson, Texas. He is a nationally certified Ethics instructor through the Southwest Legal Foundation.
Chief Weitzel is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Police Benevolent Association, Illinois Police Association, Northwestern University Alumni Association, International Association for Identification, Illinois Crime Prevention Officers Association, West Suburban Chiefs of Police, and Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police. Chief Weitzel retired in May of 2021.
Chief Weitzel can be reached at: tqweitzel@outlook.com