First Indian-American hired by Brookfield police in 2006 becomes police chief of Chicago suburb
Michael Kuruvilla has made history as the first Malayalee American police chief in the US becoming head of the police force in Brookfield, a Chicago, Illinois, suburb.
Previously deputy chief Kuruvilla, 37, the first Indian-American hired by Brookfield police in 2006, was sworn in as the new police chief during a ceremony July 12, local rblandmark.com reported.
Kuruvilla is the first person of color to lead the Brookfield Police Department and one of the very few Indian-Americans to lead a police agency in the United States.
A half dozen Indian-American officers from area police departments including Chicago, Palatine, Bensenville and others were among those attending Kuruvilla’s swearing-in ceremony that drew an overflow crowd at the Brookfield Village Hall, the largest gathering in the council chamber in a year, the website reported.
Kuruvilla replaced Edward Petrak, who retired from the police department after 31 years of service. In remarks following the presentation, Petrak, who wore civilian clothes for the occasion, made a point of shifting the spotlight away from himself.
