Mr. Michael Kuruvilla (Broadening Narratives)

Description

Michael Kuruvilla, 42, is the Chief of Police of Brookfield, Illinois, a social worker by training, and a longtime member of Chicago’s Malayali Christian community. The interview includes discussion of his Chicago birth and Buffalo Grove upbringing, his parents’ immigration from Kerala (and his mother’s early years in Borneo), the Mar Thoma Church that anchored his youth, his studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Jane Addams College of Social Work, and his path from crisis‑response social work into policing and leadership. He describes straddling Indian and American cultures as a “very Americanized” Malayali kid, his service‑oriented temperament, and how the deaths of his infant brothers, his marriage to Sybil (also a social worker), and becoming a father through adoption shaped his faith, empathy, and commitment to public service. He is noted as one of the first Indian American police chiefs in the United States—and the first Malayali—to lead a department. He mentors prospective officers and supports American Malayali Law Enforcement United, a fraternal nonprofit that connects and uplifts Indian American law‑enforcement professionals. Other topics discussed include: the Chicago Mar Thoma Church and cultural celebrations, language and visits to Kerala, the challenges of staffing and scrutiny in contemporary policing, transracial family life, and his focus on accountability, integrity, and community trust.