Given how quickly he learned about America 35 years ago, Michael Jurak should have no problems adjusting to his new job.
“Hell,” he said when asked what life was like in Chicago for a 14-year-old immigrant from Poland who didn’t speak a word of English as he started the eighth grade.
“School,” he admitted, “was rough.”
But things slowly got better as he “started picking up the language by watching TV.”
Then one day it all clicked and he understood English.
Now, after nearly 20 years with the Willow Springs Police Department, he fully understands what is expected from him in his new job.
At the Sept. 10 meeting of the village board, Jurak was promoted to the position of interim chief. The position has been open since former police chief Gerry McCarthy retired in April.
Jurak, 49, joined the Willow Springs Police Department in 2007 and worked his way up the ranks to corporal in 2018, sergeant in 2020, and lieutenant in 2023.
Yes, he hopes the “interim” label is removed from his job title.
“My childhood dream was to be a pilot, but dreams change. When I was in high school, I became friends with a security guard who was also an off-duty police officer,” he recalled when asked his career choice.
As the officer told him more and more about his work, Jurak was intrigued.
“He guided me through the process. That’s how it all started,” Jurak said.
“He took me on ride-alongs and said, ‘This is what you do. This is your office.’ He taught me you meet the residents, you help people,” he said.
After graduating from Foreman High School on Chicago’s North Side, Jurak worked as a security guard at another high school for a year.
He worked at several other jobs—a porter at a car dealership and another security position—before he attended and graduated from the Chicago Police Academy.
His first policing job was in Leland, a tiny town in downstate LaSalle County.
“The department gave me a shot in 2005. The commute one way was an hour and 45 minutes. But I was willing to do that,” he said.
While working there, in 2007, he was given the opportunity to be a part-time officer in Willow Springs, he said.
Since he and his wife Katie lived in Willow Springs then, he loved the 5-minute commute.
He soon was hired as a full-time officer. He also worked part-time for eight years at the East Hazel Crest Police Department while he was full-time in Willow Springs.
Young officers saddled with the midnight shift will find someone who commiserates with them in the chief’s office. Jurak spent his first 11 years in Willow Springs woking the midnight shift.
“It takes its toll, but you get used to it,” Jurak said.
After his promotion to corporal, “I finally saw the light of day,” he said.
Working with McCarthy proved to be a valuable experience, Jurak said. He worked four years with the former Chicago Police Superintendent.
“He brought a lot of leadership. He had his own way of teaching people. He was very easy to talk to and approachable,” Jurak said.
Jurak also learned from his time on the 5th District SWAT team, which brings together many police departments for emergencies.
“I went from operator to team commander,” he said. “It was the experience of a lifetime. The training we had. The different people we worked with. It’s a big learning experience.”
Jurak is hoping in his current role to “modernize the department and make our day-to-day operations more efficient.”
“Basically, if we can do something better, smarter, or more professionally, I want us to take a look at it. There’s always room to improve, and that’s what I have in mind for the future,” he said.
Jurak and his wife Katie now live in Plainfield with sons Nick and Alex.
“I have a very supportive wife and two awesome sons. Alex wants to be in the Air Force Academy. Nick wants to follow in my footsteps in law enforcement,” he said. “The boys are great. I can’t say a bad word about them.”
Willow Springs Village Administrator Ryan Grace feels the same way about Jurak.
“He has the respect of the department. That is important,” Grace said, noting Jurak was second in command to McCarthy.
“We waited a little bit to name an interim. We wanted to make sure we’re not making a rushed decision but the right decision. He’s done a great job in his tenure here. I think he’s ready,” Grace said.