Highway honor for late police chief

A five-year effort piloted by State Senator Sue Rezin has led to the renaming of a portion of Illinois Route 113 in honor of Coal City’s late police chief Dennis Neary.
A resolution, approved this spring in the Illinois Senate, establishes the portion of Illinois Route 113 from Carbon Hill Road east to Virgina Street as the Dennis M. Neary Memorial Highway.
The designation recognizes Neary who dedicated his professional and personal life to the health and safety of the community.
Neary began his career in law enforcement as a part-time deputy with the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office and he joined the Coal City Police Department as a full-time patrol officer in 1972. Less than 3 years later Neary was appointed chief of police, a position he held for 30 of his 36 years in local law enforcement.
During his time in Coal City, Neary was instrumental in the implementation of a local dispatch center, he put multiple policies in place and served as the town’s first DARE officer.
Neary’s work to serve and protect the community extended the fire service when he joined the Coal City Fire Protection District in 1978. He served as both a firefighter and emergency medical technician, retiring from the department as a captain.
After his retirement, Neary continued to serve and protect as a security officer for Morris Hospital and Healthcare Center.
Following a battle with advanced stage lung cancer, Neary died Oct. 2, 2016. He was 66.