TORONTO: Malayali to be top cop of US suburb

TORONTO: Michael Kuruvilla, a person of
Indian descent, is set to become the chief of police department of Brookfield,
a Chicago suburb in Illinois state in the US, on July 12.
Kuruvilla, 38, whose parents hail from Kerala, joined the department in 2006
after obtaining a master’s degree in social work. He is currently the deputy
chief there.

Speaking to TOI from Chicago over
the phone, Kuruvilla said that his educational background has been an
invaluable asset to his law enforcement career. Kuruvilla had completed his
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work, both from the University of
Illinois at Chicago.

Kuruvilla’s father hails from
Manganam in Kottayam and mother from Kollakadavu in Alappuzha. “My father came
to the US as an adult, as three of his siblings and their respective families
were already here, therefore providing a means and way to immigrate to the
United States. My father sought and obtained his degree in accounting, and
worked as an accountant for a number of companies. My mother also came to the
US as an adult, right out of high school, as her mother had immigrated to the
US as a nurse, and then brought the rest of the family here along with her. My
mother sought and obtained her degree in pharmacy,” said Kuruvilla.

“My parents were introduced by their respective family members here, and they
got married in the US, and grew their family. I travelled to Kerala as a child
approximately every 4-5 years as a kid. But as I reached adulthood and am now
raising my own family, unfortunately the time and opportunity to return to
India in general has been limited. The last trip I made to India was with my
wife, Sibil, and our eldest son, Samuel, back in 2013. I hope to take my whole
family there again at some point,” Kuruvilla added.

“I have been leading in my current role of deputy chief alongside my current
chief of police. My hope in taking over his role is to continue the culture of
professionalism, integrity, and honour in increasingly substantial ways. The
implementation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) has been my project from day one. We
are now ‘crossing the finish line’ so to speak, and I am incredibly proud of my
police department and the village of Brookfield in the ways that they have
truly embraced and encouraged this evolution in policing so well,” he said.

Kuruvilla’s wife Sibil hails from Mattakkara in Kottayam district.
Located just 13 miles west of downtown Chicago, Brookfield is a close-in suburb
combining the best of city and suburban living.