Chief Thomas Weitzel, M.S.

Police Chief

Riverside Police Department

Chief of Police Thomas Q. Weitzel has been on Riverside Police Department since September 1984.  Before coming to Riverside, he served as a patrolman for the Chicago Zoological Park Police at Brookfield Zoo. 

Chief Weitzel has held various positions within Riverside Police Department: Crime Prevention Coordinator, Evidence Technician, Public Information Officer (PIO), MCAT member (Major Crime Assistance Team), Field Training Officer, and Internal Affairs Supervisor.

Chief Weitzel holds a Master’s Degree in Criminal Social Justice from Lewis University and is a graduate of the Illinois Law Enforcement Executive Institute’s Executive Management program and was recently honored as a Certified Police Chief for the State of Illinois. 

He is a graduate of 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 eProgram (LEEDA) F.B.I. Chief Weitzel is a graduate of the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute’s Center for Law Enforcement Ethics, Richardson, Texas and 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, and International Association for Identification, Illinois Crime Prevention Officers Association, West Suburban Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.