SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Brian Stewart (R-Freeport) has been named a 2018 Public Official of the Year by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
Stewart was recognized April 10 during the Illinois Chiefs’ Annual Legislative Reception in Springfield.
“My years serving in the military and in law enforcement give me a unique perspective on the issues important to the men and women who serve and protect our communities, our state and our nation,” Stewart said. “Of government’s many roles in the daily lives of citizens, the most important are laws that allow our public safety systems to work effectively and efficiently, and support the officers who put their lives on the line every single day.”

Stewart is a retired Stephenson County Sheriff’s Sergeant and an Army veteran, serving as a Military Police Officer and Military Police Investigator.
As a Senator representing the 45th District, Stewart serves as Spokesperson for the Criminal Law Committee.
Three other lawmakers were also honored April 10: State Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton), State Rep. Martin J. Moylan (D-Des Plaines) and State Rep. Michael Zalewski (D-Riverside).
“Legislative advocacy is one of our most important activities in the association, and we are grateful that some legislators have been particularly helpful to the Illinois Chiefs in listening to our concerns and talking to other legislators about them,” said Ed Wojcicki, ILACP Executive Director. “We are recognizing four more individuals this year, and we continue to be grateful to those we recognized in previous years as well.”
The recommendation for the Public Official of the Year honor came from ILACP’s Legislative Committee, which is chaired by Lemont Chief Marc Maton. Those recommendations were ratified by the nine-member ILACP Board of Officers.
Chief Maton and Wojcicki said that all four of these legislators recognize the increasing role that law enforcement plays in Illinois communities, and they take time to understand both the positive and negative impact that proposed legislative solutions will have on law enforcement agencies and Illinois residents.