In 1990, when Ed Wilkerson was looking for a job as a police officer, he applied to numerous departments. 

He did not have a strong preference for where he would work before the Millstadt Police Department eventually hired him.

“I wanted to be a police officer,” Wilkerson recalled. “I really wasn’t concerned where. I just wanted to be a police officer.” 

Although he may not have cared much where he worked then, Wilkerson grew to love working in Millstadt over his 30-year career, which ended Friday when he retired as police  chief. 

Prior to coming to Millstadt, Wilkerson worked for three years as a security supervisor and deputy marshal in Cahokia. 

He started as a patrolman in Millstadt in September 1990 and was promoted to sergeant in 1993. 

Three years later, Millstadt Mayor Alvin Mehrtens promoted Wilkerson once again, this time to police chief. 

Wilkerson, who moved to Millstadt with his wife and toddler when he was first hired, said he enjoyed working in the town he lives in. 

“I wanted to work in a community that I lived in,” he said. “I didn’t want to go work somewhere else. A lot of police officers don’t want that, but I looked at it is as a benefit.” 

Over the next 24 years, Wilkerson focused on improving the police department in several ways, such as writing grants for new equipment. 

One of the things he said he was most proud of was starting community programs like DARE in 2005 and the Millstadt Police Youth Academy in 1998. 

Wilkerson also said shepherding the department as it grew from four officers to nine – including a K-9 at one point – was a highlight. 

With that growth, Wilkerson strove to give his officers chances to develop, as the MPD has an officer on the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, two on the Major Case Squad and one on the St. Clair County Drug Tactical Unit. 

“That’s one of the best things you can do to keep (or recruit) police officers is add opportunity,” Wilkerson explained. 

Wilkerson has also served as an instructor at the police academy at Southwestern Illinois College since 1997, teaching thousands of police officers topics such as defensive tactics. 

While he said 33 years in law enforcement seemed like the right time to retire, Wilkerson plans to continue teaching in retirement. 

“I think it’s time to move on and do something else, and I’ve really gotten into the teaching thing,” he said.  

Wilkerson’s passion for teaching also extends to a business he owns and now hopes to grow that provides a conceal carry class to civilians. 

In recent months, Wilkerson has also been training his successor,  Lt. Alan Hucke, who has been with the MPD for about 20 years and taught the DARE program. 

Given all that he has done, and the people he has worked with, Wilkerson said he has no regrets about his career. 

“I think it’s been very successful,” he said. “I’ve had a good career. I heard people say ‘if I could go back in time, I would do things different.’ But I’ll tell you, if I could go back in time, I would do the same thing again. I’ve not regretted one minute of my decision to come here.”