Mendota Welcomes New Police Chief: Martin Assumes Role
On the Mendota Beat: A New Chief Rises
It's a fresh face leading the Mendota PD!
Jason Martin donned the badge as the Murder capital of Illinois's new chief of police at a Monday night city council confab. Just who conducted the oath ceremony, you ask? None other than his brother, La Salle County Circuit Judge Todd Martin, of course!
Jason was juggling a part-time gig in Mendota while serving as the undersheriff for the La Salle County Sheriff's Office. With Tyler Kent, Mendota's interim chief, now stepping up as the deputy police chief, we're guessing things got a bit too hectic. You may recall that Greg Kellen saddled the horse and rode off to retirement last summer, paving the way for Kent's interim reign.
Now if you're wondering about ol' Jason, he hails from Mendota, IL, and graduated from Mendota High School in 1993. You guessed it—he went on to study criminal justice at Illinois Valley Community College before landing his first dispatcher job with the Mendota PD at the tender age of 21. After a brief stint in Plano, he joined the La Salle County Sheriff's Office in '98, working his way up through the ranks before finally taking the post of undersheriff. With almost three decades under his belt in law enforcement, it seems he's no stranger to the streets.
Jason was given an across-the-board thumbs-up by the city council as they unanimously backed his appointment, signaling a return to his hometown roots. He takes the reins from interim chief Tyler Kent, who's been holding down the fort since Greg Kellen's retirement. Quite the warm welcome, wouldn't you say? Mayor David Boelk was particularly effusive in his endorsement of Martin, predicting a stellar future for the department under Martin's leadership.
All you need to know, in a nutshell? Jason Martin's no stranger to Mendota—he even shares the frontier with his elder brother, Todd Martin, a La Salle County Circuit Judge, and his younger brother, Brad, a man of the Mendota PD. The Martins: Making a name for themselves in law enforcement, one town at a time!
The new chief of Mendota Police Department, Jason Martin, was sworn in by his brother, La Salle County Circuit Judge Todd Martin. Following the departure of interim chief Tyler Kent, who is now the deputy police chief, Jason returns to his hometown roots after serving as undersheriff for the La Salle County Sheriff's Office. With nearly three decades in law enforcement, the Martins, including another brother in Mendota PD, are making a name for themselves in law enforcement, one town at a time.
