Mr. Van Hook served as the City of O’Fallon Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police from November 26, 2013, until his retirement on November 11, 2021. He served in law enforcement with the City of O’Fallon from 1990 – 2021. As the Director of Public Safety, he managed the City of O'Fallon’s Police, EMS, and Fire Departments. During his career with the O’Fallon Police Department, he served as a D.A.R.E. Officer, Detective, Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis Deputy Commander, Detective Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, and Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police.
During Mr. Van Hook’s career, he received multiple commendations and awards, highlighted with the 2019 Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police “Police Chief of the Year” and the 2022 Southern Illinois Chiefs of Police “Olympian Award” for his leadership in law enforcement. He served as the President of the Southern Illinois Chiefs of Police Association in 2017 and served on the Major Case Squad Executive Board until his retirement in 2021.
Mr. Van Hook holds a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University, a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Management from Sterling College and is a graduate of Class 257 of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.
Throughout his career, Eric has been active in the community including coaching youth sports, fundraising to support the Special Olympics, the O’Fallon Rotary Club, O’Fallon Township High School Endowment Board, O’Fallon/Shiloh Chamber of Commerce, and making presentations to our schools, service clubs, and faith-based organizations.
