With Cary’s chief of police retiring, the village has announced that Marengo’s top law enforcement official will take over the role.

The Cary Village Board has unanimously approved the appointment of Nathan Hayes as the new police chief. Cary’s current Police Chief Patrick Finlon’s last day was Jan. 16. Finlon, who has been the department’s leader for 12 years, announced his retirement in October.

Hayes has been Marengo’s police chief since 2021. Before that, he served multiple roles at the Arlington Heights Police Department for over 23 years, according to a Cary news release.

Marengo promoted Sgt. Andrew Kjellgren as the acting police chief, City Administrator Derik Morefield said. Kjellgren, who has been with the department for 20 years, started this week, with a formal swearing-in ceremony planned for Jan. 26 during the City Council meeting.

“We are excited for Chief Hayes’ opportunity to be able to serve the Village of Cary – the town in which he has lived for many years – and are grateful for the time that he has served the City of Marengo,“ Morefield said in an email. ”His extensive background of knowledge and leadership have been instrumental to the growth of the Marengo Police Department during his tenure."

Hayes also previously served as the Director of the Regional Homicide Task Force that supports 21 jurisdictions in the surrounding area. Today, he is the director of the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team.

According to his three-year employment agreement, Hayes will start with an annual salary of $165,000. The agreement allots 160 hours of vacation time, 12 sick days and 24 hours of personal leave each year.

Cary Mayor Mark Kownick said what is most important to Cary police officers is continuing to build off of the culture Finlon helped cultivate.

“I can say without fear of contradiction that we are the safest community in McHenry County, and that has a lot to do with the leadership and the culture of the department,” Kownick said.

The village underwent a “very intense” recruitment process, Kownick said. The village received over 43 applications from 11 states and eventually narrowed down the pool to two candidates who were brought forward to the board, according to the release.

“I am excited that Nathan Hayes will join our leadership team as the next Chief of Police,” Kownick said in the release. “Nathan brings over 28 years of law enforcement experience and will be able to continue building upon the strong foundation established by Chief Finlon.”

Hayes has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Columbia College of Missouri. He also graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command in 2013 and the FBI National Academy in 2017, according to the release.

Kownick honored Finlon’s tenure by declaring Jan. 12 “Patrick M. Finlon Day.” The village will also be naming the police department portion of the municipal center the Patrick M. Finlon Police Department in his honor.