The Beloit Police and Fire Commission intends to select Commander Schonella Stewart as the next City of Beloit Police Chief, according to a Facebook post from the City of Beloit.
A conditional offer was extended to Stewart, who accepted. The conditions include a standard employment drug screen, a background investigation and formal Police & Fire Commission approval. The PFC is expected to meet in early November to take formal action on the selection.
Stewart, currently the Commander of Investigations at Oak Park Police Department in Illinois, was chosen over Town of Geneva Police Chief Anthony Miceli and Ty Eagleson, deputy chief of the Bureau of Investigative Services in Rockford, Illinois.
In addition to going through two rounds of interviews with the PFC, Stewart “excelled in an assessment center conducted by three police chiefs from other communities, a community forum, and in interviews with city leadership and department staff,” according to the announcement.
Stewart has served in law enforcement for 19 years in Oak Park, Illinois. She started her career as a police officer and has risen through the ranks at the department. Stewart worked as a patrol officer, juvenile investigator, detective, tactical officer, patrol sergeant, tactical sergeant, detective sergeant, patrol commander, community policing commander and investigations commander. She also served as a homicide task force member, Internet Crimes Against Children task force member, FBI hijacking task force member, and human trafficking task force member.
In her role as commander, she performed a variety of administrative, operation and fiscal oversight of the patrol, investigations and community policing units. She supervised the patrol, investigations and community policing personnel, with the sergeants directly reporting to her. She also has a strong background in community policing, media relations and investigation tactics.
Stewart attended Northwestern University Staff and Command School and graduated December 2023 as the prestigious Franklin M. Kreml Leadership Award Recipient for SPSC 561. Stewart is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP), and National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE).
Stewart holds a Master of Social Work degree from Chicago State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice graduating with Cum Laude Honors from Barber-Scotia College.
Before starting her career as a police officer in 2006, Stewart previously worked in social work, providing an additional perspective on community policing.
Additional information about the next steps will be shared upon formal adoption by the PFC in early November, according to the announcement.
