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Jon Utz

Portrait of Jon Utz, 2022 LEADS Scholar
Lieutenant, Chicago Police Department; 2022 NIJ Leads Law Enforcement
Chicago Police Department

Chicago, IL

Lieutenant Utz has been employed by the Chicago Police Department for over 15 years. He currently the Watch Operations Lieutenant in the 018th District which is in the Central Control Group. He oversees, manages, and directs the operations of a watch, including response and crime prevention strategies. In addition, he responds, directs the response and the protection of the scene, and maintain command and oversight of specific investigations. In essence, he is in charge of all police related matters that occur during the shift in a geographical area. 

Lieutenant Utz was a sergeant for over 8 years. As a Sergeant, he oversaw the Strategic Decision Support Center (SDSC). The SDSC is the center for collection, analysis, and dissemination of real-time information. In this roll, he analyzed data regularly to provide recommendations that would assist with crime-reduction strategies. He provided deployment recommendations and utilized data to determine if the recommendations and/or deployments were effective. His research interests include analyzing the effectiveness of intelligence room and workforce allocation. 

The Chicago Police Department has lost 20 Offices to suicide since 2018. In June of 2022, 3 Officers committed suicide. Lieutenant Utz had a professional and personal relationship with one of them. In 2021, he worked with an officer who committed suicide while in the police building. As a result, he has an interest in having an effective early intervention system for law enforcement officers. An early intervention system is a management tool designed to identify officers who may have an increased probability of being involved in an adverse action before they are involved in that situation. His hope is that this program also identifies officers that his agency can help save from potentially committing suicide. In addition, an early intervention system can and should help the well-being of an officer, increase job performance, and reduce complaints while providing non-disciplinary options. Lieutenant Utz has a research interest in strengthening early intervention systems to increase officer support for health and wellness.  

Lieutenant Utz earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Illinois State University and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Xavier University.

Date Created: August 23, 2022