By Awake Illinois Fellow of Law Enforcement, Chief Tom Weitzel, (Ret.) January 26, 2026 The murder of a police officer is not just another homicide. It is a direct assault on the rule of law and on every citizen who relies on that law for protection. When an officer dies in the line of duty, justice must be certain, permanent, and insulated from political negotiation. In Illinois today, it is not. A series of criminal justice reforms—rooted in developmental science and aimed

Awake Illinois today announced the appointment of Chief Thomas Weitzel (Ret.) , former Chief of Police for the Village of Riverside, Illinois, as Fellow of Law Enforcement . With 37 years of law enforcement experience—including 13 years as Chief—Tom Weitzel brings deep expertise in constitutional policing, leadership, officer safety, and evidence-based reform. A respected national voice and survivor of a line-of-duty ambush, he will strengthen Awake Illinois’ work on public

New Year’s Day Premier of Awake and Armed is published! Share via X , YouTube , and Facebook . How Woke Policies Are Destroying Illinois: Awake IL Founder Shannon Adcock & Retired Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel discuss crime, the SafeT Act, and what WE THE PEOPLE can do to protect ourselves and take our state back. Follow Tom's substack at https://substack.com/@chieftomweitzelret . Sponsorships/Advertising available for your brand/organization to leverage our 100 millio