Ryan Conway wasn’t planning to be a police officer when he began college.
And when he started his law enforcement career 20 years, he never imagined being a police chief.
So he certainly never envisioned being the police chief at the department where he once interned.
But last month, that’s what happened.
“Originally I was going to be a history teacher. I have a fascination with American history, but my roommate was a law enforcement major, and I needed a couple electives,” Conway remembered. “One of the electives I took was introduction to law enforcement, and I just absolutely fell in love with the topic, and I saw myself as a law enforcement officer.”
After two decades climbing the administrative law enforcement ranks, Conway was tapped to be Bartlett’s top cop by the village board June 17.
Bartlett Village Board President Dan Gunsteen noted the selection process for the next police chief was not an easy task.
“I wanted to ensure we got it right. We reviewed more than 27 applicants and interviewed eight final candidates,” he said. “After our conversations with Ryan, I felt confident we had found the right leader for the future of our police department.”
Conway’s history with the department wasn’t overlooked either.
Recently appointed Bartlett Police Chief Ryan Conway didn’t have plans to work in law enforcement when he started college, but changed directions after taking an elective on policing.
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Despite being the first to work in law enforcement in his family, Conway knew he had found his calling almost immediately. He said he couldn’t wait to get started and found an opportunity in the department he now leads.
“The deputy chief of police was doing a topic about the internship program in Bartlett,” he recalled. “He was so energetic about it, and I knew I needed to check this out.”
Conway got the internship, and credits his early work in Bartlett for being fundamental to his law enforcement career.
“The internship program in Bartlett really taught me what law enforcement was about,” Conway said. “You had highly productive officers who were very community oriented. They had a love for the profession for the right reasons. That was my first introduction to the Bartlett way, and that spoke to me.”
After his internship experience, Conway was hired for a full-time position in Wheaton. Conway knew he had made the right choice; no two days were the same, and he was able to consistently affect on his community.
After several years in Wheaton, Conway decided to go back to school at Lewis University, obtaining a master’s degree in criminal and social justice.
When he returned, Conway was promoted to sergeant and began working with schools and collaborating with mental health advocates as well.
He then attended the FBI Academy in March of 2024.
“It was during that process that I really began to realize, I can take a chance at being chief of police” said Conway. “I thought I had the opportunity to advance my career and bring a certain type of professionalism to other agencies, and Bartlett was always going to be my first choice. I probably was the first applicant.”
Conway passed through rounds of rigorous interviewing to obtain the position as police chief, Gunsteen said citing the new chief’s dedication to community focused policing and bettering the department through training and education.
Conway was formally sworn in last week and said he is looking forward to his future in Bartlett.
“You don’t miss out on a chance like Bartlett, the administration and the community are completely supportive and collaborative,” he said. “Being able to affect positive change on the entire community is really what I’m looking forward to most.”
