Kane County Reporter

The city of Batavia celebrated two new officers joining their police department.

"Well, first of all, Caleb, I want to say like the gentleman that just went ahead of you, I'm very pleased with your selection to become a Batavia police officer" Batavia Police Officer Jeffrey Schielke. "You certainly with your military background and the experience you've got, I think you're going to make a very, very strong addition to our force. And needless to say, the mission of our police department and all others is changing almost daily with new challenges and new requests and requirements. And we need talented people like yourself in the street, in the squad cars and dealing with the public. So, thank you for choosing Batavia. And I look forward again to a hopefully 20-plus year career for yourself as a member of our department."

Police Chief Shawn Mazza introduced two new probationary police officers to the city council. They were both selected by the police and fire commission to fill vacancies within the force and will both begin their training at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy on January 9th, with a position available to them upon completion of the academy. 

Peter Rudelich was the first candidate chosen; a lifelong resident of Batavia, graduating from Batavia high school in 2017 before going on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Spanish. He has a family legacy of law enforcement, with both his father and brother-in-law occupying law enforcement positions. 

Also appointed was Caleb Saxsma, who is also an Illinois native from Cary Grove, currently residing in the Chicago area. Officer Saxsma has a degree in sociology from Northern Illinois University. He is also a veteran, serving in the Marine Corps from 2013-2017, when he did campaigns in both Iraq and Syria.