EDWARDSVILLE – Michael Fillback was officially approved at the Tuesday night Edwardsville City Council meeting to be the next city police chief. He previously served in the major position for the Edwardsville Police Department.
Fillback replaces the previous chief of eight years, Jay Keeven, who has taken a position as City of Troy city administrator.
Next month, Chief Fillback will mark 25 years with the Edwardsville Police Department. The new chief has been very active in community affairs, and that includes fundraising for Special Olympics.
The new chief said he is excited about the new leadership opportunity.
“I have been a career officer here with the majority of officers and employees,” he said. “I think it is a great opportunity for myself but also hopefully benefits everyone in the department. It will create opportunities for other officers to move up with the trickle-down effect. We will also reach out and hire a new officer to join the organization.”
Fillback said previous Chief Keeven will be sincerely missed.
“Chief Keeven has been a great guy and is very knowledgeable with all his years in law enforcement working in a bigger organization,” Fillback said. “He brought a lot of different perspectives and also brought a sense of humor. He will be missed as a work colleague and friend, although he said he is only a phone call away for advice.”
Chief Fillback said he loves the residents of the City of Edwardsville and said it is a very nice community and a great place to raise a family.
“We have a lot of shopping, parks, and a great school district here,” he said.
“The community offers us great support. We have had people and organizations bring us in cookies, and if we are doing a fundraiser we get a lot of support. We are fortunate to work in a community that truly supports its city.”
Chief Fillback said he is fortunate to have such a good team of officers and support staff around him with the City of Edwardsville Police.
“At the end of the day, it takes all of us to make it successful,” he said. “The officers are doing the real work on the street and schools, and we are here to guide them and work as a team.”
