Detective Kyle Chumley (left) is being promoted to fill the role left by the retirement of Deputy Chief Rodney Cox. Cox’s last day will be Monday.
Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree/Journal-Courier
After 30 years with Jacksonville Police Department, Deputy Chief Rodney Cox is retiring, and chief of investigations Kyle Chumley will step into the role.
Jacksonville City Council was scheduled to approve the promotion Monday.
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Chumley said he hopes to fill the role honorably and be a good leader in the department.
“I always hope to leave things better than they were,” Chumley said. “I hope I’m leaving investigations better than when I started. I hope to do the same to this role.”
Chumley has been with the department since 2000, when he was hired as a civilian employee handling abandoned vehicles. He became an officer in 2006.
In 2010, Chumley became a detective with the department and was named chief of investigations in 2024.
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In his previous roles, Chumley has helped upgrade systems and technology within the department. One of his goals in the position is to ensure the department stays up to date with available technology, he said.
“I want to advance our department,” Chumley said. “There are so many mandates that are placed on departments. I want us to be as technologically advanced as we need to be to keep up with mandates.”
In his new role, Chumley will work closely with IT and handle issues involving in-car computers and cameras, body cameras and city camera systems.
He also will be responsible for ensuring officers are properly trained and that the department and its officers meet all requirements.
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He will be responsible for overseeing the shooting range and working with other agencies on the range’s use.”
He is excited about his new role and feels his time with the department has given him the experience he needs, he said.
“When I was a civilian employee, the department had just adopted its new records system, so I got to be a part of that from the ground up,” Chumley said. “It afforded me the opportunity to stay involved in the computer/technology side of things.”
Cox believes Chumley will be a good fit for the position, he said.
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“His previous work makes him a no-brainer,” Cox said. “There are a handful of people who took on this new records management system. He was one of them. Kyle has helped out with the in-car cameras. He knows technology. To me, it’s a no-brainer because all of this is in his wheelhouse.”
Cox will finish his time with the department on Monday and take a few weeks off before joining West Central IL Criminal Justice Council Mobile Training Unit 9 as a director.
In his new role, Cox will help oversee training for officers across 11 counties.
“I’ll still get to work in law enforcement,” Cox said.
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One of his first projects in his new role will be to establish a central training location, with a satellite location in Jerseyville. The exact site for the central location has not been determined.
His new role will include some duties similar to those he handled with Jacksonville Police Department.
“For the past 10 years, I’ve been in charge of training coordination for the department,” Cox said. “I think my experience will help me in the transition to my new job.”
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Prior to becoming deputy chief, Cox joined the department as a patrol officer. He was promoted to sergeant after 10 years, before being promoted to lieutenant and then lieutenant of investigations.
He became deputy chief in 2015.