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Captain Nick Gailius serves as the interim chief of police. He was born and raised in Fairview Heights, where he continues to live today with his wife, Karen, and two children - Anna and Nicholas.
Gailius started with the Fairview Heights Police Department as a Police Explorer at the age of 14. At age 15, he was elected president and chief explorer. At the age of 19, he became a dispatcher with the department. Shortly after turning 21, he was appointed as a police officer with the City.
Gailius was Patrolman of the Year in 1989 and again in 1990. In 1992, he was assigned to MEGSI as an undercover agent and rose to the position of Deputy Director of the group. He returned to the department in 1994 where he assumed duties as a detective.
In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served in the patrol division until 2000 when the detective sergeant position was created. He served in that capacity until 2002, when he was promoted to lieutenant.
After promotion to lieutenant, Gailius served as the department's executive lieutenant, where he was responsible for the operations of the investigations unit, the telecommunications unit, the records unit, and the word processing unit. He was also responsible for the implementation of technology in the department. Gailius was also responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the construction of the new police facility in 2002 and 2003.
In 2006, Gailius was given additional duties by the Mayor, who appointed him the Coordinator of the City's Emergency Services and Disaster Agency. He is responsible for oversight and coordination of any citywide response to an emergency or disaster. He has commanded response to three declared disasters, as well as numerous critical incidents and high risk special operations.
Gailius has extensive executive training. He is a graduate of the 235th Session of the FBI National Academy. And, he is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville where he was recognized as a Dean's Scholar.
Gailius is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Fairview Heights, the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs' Association, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois Emergency Services Managers' Association, the FBI National Academy Alumni Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
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