SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The chief of police of Fairview Heights has been named Illinois Chief of the Year. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police announced Tuesday that Chief Nicholas Gailius will receive the award at a ceremony next month. Gailius has been chief in Fairview Heights since 2010. He started with the department as a police Explorer at age 14. He’s also been dispatcher, patrolman, detective, and assistant chief. Gailius helped coordinate law enforcement response east of the Mississippi River during 2014 protests over a fatal shooting by police in Ferguson, Missouri. In Fairview Heights he co-founded a youth mentoring program and created a program to improve communications between police and local neighborhoods. ILACP President Steven Casstevens says Gailius is “not only an extraordinary chief but also a mentor” to other officers.