Penze, Joan
Joan Penze began her law enforcement career in 1994 with the Des Plaines, Illinois, Police Department. In 1999, she was appointed a negotiator for the Des Plaines Police Tactical Response Team. In 2005, she was selected as a negotiator for the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System (“NIPAS”), a regional SWAT team serving 74 member communities in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. In 2015, she was promoted to Sergeant and took on the role of Negotiations Team Leader for the Des Plaines PD TRT. Sgt. Penze attended Northwestern University Center for Public Safety Negotiations training and Public Agency Training Council Hostage Negotiation Phases I, II, and III. Sgt. Penze retired in 2020 and currently serves as a part-time officer in Riverwoods, Illinois, assigned to NIPAS as the Assistant Team Leader for Negotiations. Throughout her career, she has been involved in over 600 critical incidents.