“No matter how good your department is, no matter how many accreditations you receive, no matter how much you pat yourself on the back, you need the confidence of the residents of your community,” Doherty said.

After dropping out of college to join the military, Carbondale Police Chief Steve Odum embarked on a law enforcement career and never looked back.

He was named Carbondale’s top cop in July, having served more than eight months as interim police chief. Odum’s promotion caps a 27-year career at the department.

Carbondale’s former chief of police, R.T. Finney, left in November to lead Champaign’s police force. In Odum’s view, the biggest challenge facing the department is better community relations.

“We have a serious concern with connecting with the community again,” Odum said. “I think we had that, and we lost it – or it’s deteriorated some. One of the things that we need to do is to see ourselves as a part of the community and not apart from the community. “

Carbondale City Manager Jeff Doherty said improving Carbondale residents’ view of the police department is an ongoing process.

“No matter how good your department is, no matter how many accreditations you receive, no matter how much you pat yourself on the back, you need the confidence of the residents of your community,” Doherty said.

Originally from Marion, Odum moved to Carbondale in the early 1970s to attend SIUC, envisioning a career as a physical education teacher.

However, college life didn’t immediately stir his enthusiasm.

“I spent one year at SIU and pretty much decided I needed to be somewhere, and college wasn’t it,” Odum said.

After leaving school to join the U.S. Army, Odum became a military police officer and decided to pursue a law enforcement career.

With two years of service behind him, Odum returned to Southern Illinois and secured a position as a part-time dispatcher at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department.

During the year he worked at the Sheriff’s Department, he pursued a position at the Carbondale Police Department and was hired in 1977 as a patrol officer.

Odum returned to SIUC, completing an associate’s degree in law enforcement in 1981. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in technical careers, majoring in law enforcement. In 1995, he received a master’s degree in public administration from SIUC.

He also found time to graduate from the Illinois Executive Management Institute in 1994. Odum is also a 1999 graduate of the FBI National Academy, where he received training in executive and administrative law enforcement.

Odum’s focus on developing management skills made him a strong candidate to lead the police department.

“Steve’s a good manager,” Doherty said. “Steve is well respected by everyone in the department, from the sworn police officers to the civilians that work there. I think he’s earned that respect by leading by example.”

Odum’s entire family shares his enthusiasm for education and self-improvement. His wife, Donella, holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in library science from SIUC. She has served as the head librarian at Sallie Logan Public Library in Murphysboro for 14 years.

His daughter, Britton, works as a registered nurse at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau and is pursuing a master’s degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri State University.

Odum and his wife are each the first in their families to graduate from college.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for both Steve and the city,” Donella Odum said. “He’s worked hard to make himself a good policeman, he’s kept abreast of what’s going on, and I think he’ll do a good job for the city. I’m very proud of him. We’ve always supported each other in our career decisions and provided as much help as we could to each other, and it’s his turn now.”