Ill. Police Chief Brings Leadership, Faith to Force and Basketball Court

Guided by his faith, Ryan Bivins cherishes the impact he can provide as Dixon’s Chief of Police and Faith Christian boys basketball coach.

“I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not knowledge-wise the best coach as far as the game goes,” he said. “But there is so much more to coaching that you can teach about life that translates into overcoming adversity and how to work together as a team.”

Whether he’s coaching his players on the hardwood or leading through his work at the Dixon Police Department, Bivins takes pride in supporting others. Especially in tough situations.

“People who know me know I’m not shy about my faith,” he said. “I’ll pray with anybody, anywhere, because I believe in the power of prayer. God’s called me to my position. It’s not about me, it’s about how he’s going to use me in my position to do good.”

Bivins, a 2004 Faith Christian graduate, is also a 10-year veteran of the Illinois Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan, where he was promoted to captain and awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Olivet Nazarene University.

Bivins joined the Dixon Police Department in 2009 and has served in numerous roles, including patrol officer, detective, patrol sergeant, street crimes sergeant, detective sergeant and hostage negotiator. He was appointed Chief of Police last May.

Bivins strives to recognize the work that local officers do.

Three Dixon police officers – Sgt. Ed Deets and officers Breanna DeHaan and Justin White – were recently recognized after rescuing an unresponsive person found in an idling vehicle in a closed garage.

“The way that he is shining a bright light on heroic lifesaving efforts, recognizing the officers and the team involved, making our community know how they’re being served by our department, is truly next-level leadership,” Dixon City Manager Danny Langloss said of Bivins.

Bivins said every shift, there is something or someone to highlight.

“I always tell our officers that the details matter and we take care of our citizens like they are family,” he said. “Our officers do really awesome things all the time. I know people say it’s part of the job, but it’s important to recognize those who go above and beyond.”

Bivins started coaching his two boys, Carson, a senior, and Brady, a sophomore, when they were in junior high. He also has two daughters, Bailey, an eighth grader, and Marley, a seventh grader. His wife, Jordan (nee Ortgiesen), was also a standout athlete with Faith Christian and has gotten into coaching.

In practice, Bivins aims to apply biblical teachings to both sports and everyday life.

“For our practices, we spend about 10-15 minutes doing devotionals,” he said. “That’s really the thing that I enjoy about coaching, is being able to apply it to the game and grow throughout the season.”

The Falcons boys basketball team has been the premier power in the Northern Illinois Christian Conference over the years. It went 26-4 last season and 12-0 in the NICC.

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of talent,” Bivins said. “The camaraderie and brotherhood we’ve had on the team were pretty special.

“I always preach, it’s not just one player. Everybody on the bench that brings the energy and supports the team is just as important as the players on the court.”

Bivins also applies that to members of the community and the police.

“We all have life going on,” he said. “To be able to be supportive of others as well as other officers, that’s something I take pride in.

“It’s really humbling. To invest in people’s lives is super important.”

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