CALUMET CITY | With a broad smile on his face, Edward Gilmore spent his first few moments as Calumet City police chief Thursday shaking hands and talking with city and Police Department officials.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, Gilmore briefly spoke before a crowd gathered to watch the former federal Drug Enforcement Administration official become the city's first black police chief and 21st chief since the city incorporated in 1896.

Later Thursday, Gilmore met with residents during the first of eight town hall-style meetings in an effort to immediately open lines of communication between the department and the community. It was the first step in an assessment phase in which Gilmore will gather information from Police Department staff and the community to learn their thoughts on any challenges ahead.

"We're going to have to work to match our operations plan versus what the community wants us to do and see what we can do," he said. "(It doesn't) necessarily always mean on a law enforcement level, but on an everyday level.

"It's asking 'What do you see out here that is going on? What is happening on your block that we need to pay attention to?' That's going to be my mandate to the troops as we move forward."

Asked what she would like to see during Gilmore's first weeks on the job, 7th Ward Alderman Cindi Pallick said an increased police presence on the streets -- including members of the command staff -- during school dismissal times and into the evening.

Gilmore, who was with the DEA for more than 20 years and retired from the agency as a deputy chief inspector, said he will push to build a coalition in the department and between the department and the community. The former Chicago Police Department patrolman sees the return to local policing as an honor and a return to his roots.

"I know what it's like to be out on the street. I know what it's like to get out of a single-man car at 4 o'clock in the morning and not know what's at the end of the alley waiting for me," Gilmore said. "When you enter this position, you are responsible for the safety of an entire community, but it's not me alone. I have all the men and women of the Calumet City Police Department with me."

Calumet City Mayor Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush, who selected Gilmore after a nationwide search that narrowed 65 applicants to nine candidates, said she looks forward to working with her new police chief.

"I think the department will benefit from his leadership," she said. "He brings a great wealth of experience."