Gun Belt

updated: June 4, 2009

Home Link Gun Club St. Joseph the Worker Award

Warren R. Wilkosz Sr.

(Chicago Tribune AP Photo from Andy Kokoraleis's death penalty parole hearing

in Springfield Illinois ordered by Governor George Ryan)

Rule #1 ...have an exit stradegy early in your career & at the proper time execute it!

Colt Python 357 magnum revolver

Time to Hang up the Gun Belt

Since retiring April 30, 2001

...the only problem is that I can't get this smile off my face

While driving the Alaska Highway and living & hiking Mt. McKinley, Alaska, Key West, Florida & Kayaking w/ the Alligators & Crocodiles @ Everglades National Park. The Artic Ocean 205 miles n/o the Artic Circle with the Eskimo's @ Inuvik, Northwest Territory, Kayaking w/the Seals and 28 foot tides in Lubec, Northern Maine. Driving 3,500 miles in Mexico, living in Baja California Sur, Mexico while Kayaking the Sea of Cortez, petting Grey Whales traveling to Cabo San Lucas.

The Smile just won't come off, from Sea to Shining Sea.

Dupage County Sheriff Police

Wheaton, Illinois 60187 Dupage County Sheriff Link

Detective for 23 years

63 Homicide Investigations

2 Commendations for Heroism

23 Commendations for Excellence Awards

Never missed a day of work

Never missed Sunday/Holy Day Mass without cause

26 years of Service

Joe Friday Speech

Homicide

"Our day begins when yours ends"

Violent Crimes Unit

Investigations Link

May 5, 1975

Hired by Sheriff Wayne Shimp,

Deputized a Patrolmen but assigned to the Radio Room awaiting the Dupage County Police Academy

1976

The Early Days 1976 & Midnight Shift Patrol

...Day break after working the 10 hour midnight shift. In those days we drove Pontiacs with 455 engines & 4 barrel carburetors to cruise at 110 mph,

...we took our Squads home.

...a time before portable radios and team meetings, swat teams, and close supervision ....a time of high speed chases ...a time when lone Deputies would patrol the back roads of Dupage County to Serve & Protect, to help people ...a time when at times on the midnight shift 4 one man cars would patrol the county and when cars were tied up with an arrest or issues it would be common to have one car north and one car south. A 20 minute emergency run going lights and sirens across several municipalities was the norm arriving with red hot brake drums from the ride ...a time of arriving at a bar fight long before your back up and watching with a chuckle as another Deputy would come flying in sliding on a rural gravel Tavern parking lot for effect, putting all on notice, the Sheriff's Police has arrived!

Most of all ...a time when Deputies Served & Protected & were not forced my management to find scape goats or get quotas. A time when "doing the right thing" was more important than the letter of the law.

Receiving a Second Heroism Award

from Sheriff Wayne Shimp while assigned to the Patrol Division Midnight Shift for 14 months, 1976 -77

1978

The Palace Guard ...After just 2 1/2 years as a Deputy Sheriff Patrolman I made Detective. Notice the names on the locked door to the Detective Division. Years later when the names came off the door the status of being in the Palace Guard also folded. In these early days it was an honor to Serve and Protect

I experimented with many different hand guns over the years including the 45 Government Automatic and several Glock 9mm's.

But the Smith & Wesson 5 shot Chief Model 60 w/ 125 grain Supervel rounds carried in the small of my back worked the best for daily use.

1979

"The Blues Brothers" and my movie career

Is this Jake and Elwood?

or is this Jake and Elwood, or Warren and John Sam? (both ex-Marines and graduates of Our Lady of Charity Grade School, Cicero Illinois)

Before After

November, 1979 as a Detective I put my patrol uniform back on and worked a security detail on Route 59 and Gary's Mill road in West Chicago, Winfield Township. Turned out to be the movie "The Blues Brothers." This was the gas station that the actress Twiggy drove up to just before it is blown up with a tanker truck.

my first big fire, worked on this for months with Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms & the Fire Marshal's office

1980

With the Sheriff's Police it takes at least 2 years before you get a good mix of cases and grow enough whiskers to be a real Detective. By Christmas of 1980 I was feeling my oats!

Happy to work Christmas Day ...around 1100 hrs the Sheriff would come by and say go home

The fact is, if we had one Detective in the office, we all got paid for the holiday. We used a lottery every year to pick office duty on holidays. If we had a Murder etc., everyone worked anyway.

Check out the little Snow Man I kept above the name plate on my desk. It was in place of family photos that you might have in a normal office. With our clients, having family photo in the office was not a good idea, NOT SAFE. As knew Detectives would be assigned the first thing they did was to set up shop and display their family photos until scolded by Senior Detectives to protect your family from the Murders, Sex offenders etc. that we drag through our office all hours of the day and night.

1981

This was a busy time for a Violent Crimes Detective

August 29, 1981 Fire ...5S014 Karns, Naperville Township,

During the Cause and Origin on this Arson Fire I worked 23 hours straight as the Violent Crimes Duty Detective going from one call to another. Had a Home Invasion, Death, Armed Robbery & this Fire. This was before the Days of Overtime. So I worked these weekend hours for free. Back then I had bad Hay Fever, thus I probably was running a fever and should of been in bed.

This Work Ethic continued & I would Retire years later having never calling in sick.

1982

The Homicide list grew as we went to every death.

Robin Gecht Ripper Murders Task Force,

with the amount of Murders and bodies recovered the entire unit was put into action.

working under cover as a inmate in the Jail on a weekend. We had information that inmates were smuggling drugs into the jail on visitors day.

1983 ish & the Insane Fish

of the 14th District, Chicago Police Department

Insane Fish Link

In the early to mid 1980's I was going to court for weeks on end @ the Cook County Court House, 26 & California, Chicago. The Robin Gecht Murder Trials had started. Each of the Defendant were charged twice with Murder to assure a Death Penalty. Robin had attempted Murder related charges. While in the States Attorney elevator heading to Court the Prosecuting Attorney asked if I knew what the Graffiti on the elevator walls was. (pictured above) He went on to explain that it was started by Policemen of the14th District and it is spreading through out the Chicago Police Department. Chicago Police Commanders and the Superintendent don't know who this Gang is that is harassing Chicago most violent street gangs with putting the Insane Fish logo on walls throughout the city.

Well that day I became an Insane Fish. I introduced a few other Dupage County Sheriff Detective to the IF and soon the IF was being posted in Tavern & Restaurant washrooms throughout DuPage County. The IF would appear on the Dupage County Sheriff's Police Roll Call black board. Patrolmen were not privy to the meaning and the game went on for years to come. In Dupage County only Sheriff's Police Violent Crimes Detectives new the meaning of IF.

...Fun Times

. . . . . .

The Book

Looking for a good bed time story, "try mine."

Order it here: Deadly Thrills Link

Robin Gecht's Limo Service

(on my retirement party flyer Gecht's Limo service was offered at the bottom. Those who were involved in the investigation new that Gecht's Murder crew only gave one way rides.

Notice how my Sgt. at the time hung all my arrest photos above his desk. Back then I was given the freedom to pursue the Murder of Linda Sutton found in Villa Park, York Township. That meant working the West Side of Chicago's Austin & Grand Central Districts by myself most of the summer. I solved Nineteen Murders and located 9 bodies that summer.

Just doing the right thinks and treating people fairly.

1983

February 25, 1983 at 16:25hrs,

Working the 1500 - 2300hrs Detective shift

I arrived at 620 Clover Court, Naperville Township with a report of a Home Invasion & Kidnapping of a 10 year old girl. Little did I know that I would work on this till the end of my career and beyond.

...leaving the lobby of the old Jail & office ...arrived at the new

The last day at the old office in Downtown Wheaton. We all thought it would be a good thing. It turned out to be the end of police work as we knew it. The New Age Group would infect the department day by day. The days of the honest family man Detective involved in the community will erode daily.

My 1st Squad that was actually ordered new for me. I picked the color. Prior to this I drove a brown Pontiac Lemons that was handed down from a Detective transferred from the unit.

Notice I wrote Still Assigned to Detective Division. Most Detectives worked a few years and would go back to Patrol. I would end up with 23 years in Detectives, one year, sometimes one day at a time.

1984 -89

Under Construction

the years blended together in these days,

1990