Police Retirement

After 27 years with the Palos Park Police Department, Sergeant Mike Taylor will work his last shift this weekend.

Mayor John Mahoney and Police Commissioner Dan Polk have announced that long time Palos Park Police Department Sergeant Mike Taylor will retire later this month.

Police Sergeant Mike Taylor will be working his last shift this weekend. Taylor’s retirement marks the end of a career that saw him rising through the ranks from a part time patrol officer, detective and then into one of the department’s top jobs, as sergeant and shift supervisor.

An Argo High School graduate, Taylor grew up in Justice, Illinois. When he was hired the process was much different then. Taylor was hired by long time Chief of Police Bill Shanley, who said of Taylor, “there was never a day or time where he did not fulfill the expectation of his fellow officers and superiors.”

With only a few criminal justice courses under his belt, Taylor was put to work patrolling a much smaller Palos Park back then. After being deemed suitable for the job, Taylor was hired full time and he was sent to the Illinois State Police Academy for recruit training.

Taylor has been thinking of retiring since his wife, Palos Hills Police Officer Rose Taylor retired two years ago.

Former Palos Park Chief Mike Holub said of Taylor, “he was an informal leader of the department and set the pace as a respected and trusted officer, he always earned the admiration of both co workers and the community members”’

Taylor said there were many reasons why he became a police officer, attracted to the variety of the work, the independence and a future of not being stuck in a monotonous job behind a desk or on a factory line.

Chief Joe Miller thanked Taylor not only for his wealth of institutional knowledge that he shared with many of our younger officers, but also for his wisdom and guidance through some of my most challenging issues (Budget, staffing, patrol operations, training) in running a small professional organization with limited resources.”