ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Police Chief Chuck Huff spent his last morning on the job Friday answering the phone, reminiscing about his career and greeting a stream of well-wishers.

        Then in a brief ceremony just after noon, he pinned his gold police chief's badge on the uniform of veteran Arlington Police Officer Mark Groteke and retired.

Huff

        That ended Chief Huff's nearly 34-year career as an Arlington Heights police officer, the last 17 as chief.

        Officer Groteke, who has been with the department for more than 20 years, is the third Arlington police chief since the mid-1960s.

        Chief Huff, 57, recalled that one of the biggest emergencies occurred a year after he joined the Arlington Heights force: a tornado that whipped through several Hamilton County communities in August 1969.

        The storm, which hit in the early evening, leveled a gas station and damaged buildings in Arlington Heights.

        Chief Huff worked through the night and well into the next morning.

        Serious crime and excitement are rare in the Hamilton County suburb nestled along Interstate 75 near Galbraith Road. Police work tends to focus on keeping the peace and talking with residents.

        For Chief Huff, that was a priority.

        “I've always tried to teach my officers to be publicly oriented,” he said. “Let them know you are there for them.”

        Arlington Heights resident Woodrow Cromer called Chief Huff “one of the best chiefs we ever had.

        “He'd do anything he could to help you out,” Mr. Cromer said.

        Arlington Heights Mayor Joe Harper is a former Arlington Heights police officer who worked under Chief Huff for years.

        “It's going to feel funny when you walk in and he's not here,” Mayor Harper said.

        Chief Huff began his career in 1966 as a Hamilton County Park Ranger assigned to Sharon Woods. He left the park district to become a Terrace Park police officer in 1968 and later that year joined Arlington Heights as a patrolman. He was promoted to sergeant in 1975 and then to chief in 1985.

        About 1,000 people live in the community of less than one square mile.

        The department includes one part-time and five full-time officers. It also has several auxiliary officers.

        Chief Huff said he will miss the people he's worked with over the years — particularly his officers.

        “Everybody is very close, they all work together,” he said. “Everybody supports each other.”

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