Moline Police Department

Season 3 Episode 4 airs Monday as we welcome Village of Lincolnshire - Government Police Chief Joe Leonas.

Over the course of his 26-year career, he held various positions including: Detective, Crime Prevention Officer, School Resource Officer, Sergeant, Investigations Commander, and Deputy Chief. Leonas also served as the Case Management Commander on the Major Case Assistance Team (MCAT) – a homicide task force comprised of over 22 police agencies in Cook County – and was responsible for the development of MCAT’s Serious Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) Team. Leonas graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in English and received his master's degree from Western Illinois University in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration. Leonas also graduated from Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff & Command, as well as the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Leonas has instructed police officers since 1998 in many areas, including: homicide investigations, juvenile justice, police applicant backgrounds, leadership & management, and internal affairs. In addition to teaching for the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Leonas is an adjunct professor at DePaul University in Chicago. Leonas also taught at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy (SLEA), Northeast Multi-Regional Training (NEMRT), Aurora University, and the College of DuPage. Leonas currently serves as the President on the Executive Board of the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association, Secretary on the Advisory Board of Directors for North East Multi-Regional Training (NEMRT), and Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT). Chief Leonas was the President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police from April 2025 – May 2026.

The Moline Police Department will utilize drone technology to protect the City of Moline Government, 250th Anniversary, 4th of July Celebration on 7/2/2026. We are notifying the public of this use, per state law. We hope to see you there!