GLEN CARBON - Glen Carbon Police Chief Todd Link was honored on Tuesday night for building up the GCPD and its morale over his three decades of law enforcement service. Mayor Bob Marcus presented Chief Link with the Meritorious Service Award at this week’s Village Board meeting.
Officers from multiple police departments, including his own, submitted 35 letters in support of Link. Among the many attendees were Retired Chief Scott Penny from the Fairmont City Police Department and John Cunningham, former NAACP president and personal friend of the chief.
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From boosted morale to equipment upgrades, new officer hires, a $1 million expansion of the GCPD Dispatch Center, and more, Public Safety Administrative Supervisor Coleen Schaller said Chief Link’s “true leadership” has ushered in a new era for the department.
“The Glen Carbon Police Department has not always been great,” Schaller said. “10 years ago, Chief Link did not inherit a fully functioning police agency with ties to the community or one that was considered a flagship agency among other departments. One might say we were, at best, an island of misfit toys.”
She said many department members, including herself, lacked the resources and training they needed, with little to no opportunities for growth. “We lacked identity and we lacked vision,” she said. “We lacked true leadership.”
“From the beginning, Chief Link has led this agency through difficulty, including the loss of one of our own, Sergeant Douglas Boker,” she added. “As society called for change to law enforcement, Chief Link immediately began to look for ways to change policy, train more, educate more, and build better ties to our community. He completed a million dollar renovation to our dispatch center and fought to keep our 911 center open in the face of state closures.”
Schaller also credited Link with the creation of DEA and FBI Task Force Officer positions, the K-9 program, and a culture of confidence within the department: “He has strengthened our morale and brought us together,” she said. “He has given us certainty and security in our abilities to do our jobs. He even lets some of us call him ‘Todd.’”
In addition to the K-9 program, Link also set up a program for educational reimbursement and an awards program - including the Meritorious Service Award. “He has changed our mindset and set new standards,” Schaller said. “He created the award I’m asking you to give him tonight.”
The Meritorious Service Award is “bestowed upon a member of the department who displays a superior performance of duty, resulting from unusual proficiency or exceptional attention to duty, or an outstanding act which involves performance above and beyond that which is required by the members’ basic requirements.”
Mayor Marcus made a few comments in support of Link’s “positive impact” on the village before presenting him with the Meritorious Service Award.
“Chief Todd Link’s leadership over the past decade has made a positive impact - not only on the Glen Carbon Police Department, but also in our entire community,” Mayor Marcus said. “Chief Link’s commitment to excellence has built a department that holds the highest standards of trust and integrity."
Chief Link also made a few brief comments thanking those who made this milestone possible.
“Thank you to the mayor and the Board of Trustees for your unwavering support - this means a lot to me,” Chief Link said. “Chief Scott Penny is here tonight, and he hired me on March 15, 1994 and if he hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be here tonight.
“I have another friend and mentor here tonight, John Cunningnham, who’s been my close friend now for 10 years, and I appreciate you being here, John. And then the final thing is my police department - thank you so much.”
After the meeting, a reception with refreshments was held at the Glen Carbon Police Department in celebration of Chief Link and his positive impact on the GCPD and entire Glen Carbon community.
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