Palos Park Police Cadet Scholarship Renamed For Outgoing Mayor
PALOS PARK, IL — The Palos Park Police Cadet program scholarship will be renamed for outgoing Mayor John Mahoney. The scholarship is awarded to Palos Park Law Enforcement Explorers who have committed to the police cadet program for more than one year.
The Mayor John F. Mahoney Police/Cadet Explorer Scholarship will help offset cadets’ college education, as long as their major has an emphasis on public or social service.
“We commend the Palos Park Police Cadets for their commitment and dedication to public service,” Polk said at the mayor’s retirement recognition dinner May 2. “We honor their service with a small token to help defray their college costs, with a cadet scholarship, which is funded by donations to support the PPPD Cadet program, training, education and equipment. Moving forward this scholarship will be renamed the John F Mahoney Police / Cadet Explorer Scholarship.”
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Mahoney served four terms as mayor of Palos Park. He declined to run in the 2023 consolidated election. He presided over his last village council meeting April 24. Mayor-elect Nicole Milovich-Walters will be sworn in Monday.
“I’m grateful for all the people I met doing this job,” Mahoney said. “My children had the best experience growing up in Palos Park.”
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Mahoney recalled residents who approached him almost apologetically on walks, at the supermarket and community events. Some conversations would last 45 minutes with his young children tugging at his sleeve.
“It was never a bother,” he said. “It was my job.”
The Palos Park Police Cadet Program is an apprenticeship program designed to prepare young people ages 14 through 20 for a career in law enforcement and public service. The program also helps strengthen the idea of team work as well as the fundamental values of integrity, high moral character, and honesty. Cadets perform many functions including the “You’re Not Alone” program that checks on the well being of the village’s older residents, traffic control for major events and providing other forms of assistance for police officers, such as promoting awareness to inclement weather.
The Mayor John F. Mahoney Police/Cadet Explorer Scholarship is funded by donations from residents and organizations.
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