• Colonel J.W. Price
• Deputy Director

Colonel J.W. Price was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Division of Criminal Investigation in April 2024. Before his appointment, Colonel Price served as the Lieutenant Colonel of the Division of Criminal Investigation Support Command since August 2022. He previously served as a Major in the Office of the Director as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning where he oversaw complex, multi-agency coordination of major incidents, as well as policy review, agency continuity of operations planning, research and development, and the Executive Protection Unit. Colonel Price has been with the Illinois State Police since 2006 when he attended the academy with Cadet Class #112. He has a diverse career in the Illinois State Police (ISP) previously serving in the Division of Patrol as Major over Support Services Command, Commander of District 9 Patrol (Springfield), the Executive Protection Unit Operations Officer and Governor Travel Detail Leader, a full-time Operator on ISP Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT), and as a District 8 (Peoria) Patrol Trooper. Colonel Price served many years as a Crisis Negotiator, Firearms Instructor, and Rapid Deployment Instructor for ISP.

Colonel Price previously served in law enforcement as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service and a Deputy Sheriff with the McLean County Sheriff’s Office. Colonel Price is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy class #280, Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command Class #414, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Criminal Investigator Training Program, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Training Course, and the University of Illinois Police Training Institute. He has also served as a Governor-appointed board member of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board since 2017. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Western Illinois University, a Master of Public Safety from the University of Virginia, and is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.

• Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Likens
• Assistant Deputy Director

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Likens was appointed as Assistant Deputy Director for the Division of Criminal Investigations Statewide Investigative Command in April 2023. Before his appointment, Lieutenant Colonel Likens held the rank of Major and was assigned as the Northern Illinois Investigative Commander while simultaneously being assigned to the Chicago area Unified Command. While in these roles, Lieutenant Colonel Likens worked in conjunction with the Division of Patrol and the Division of Forensic Services to combat expressway violence in the Chicago area, while also supervising investigative efforts throughout northern Illinois. Lieutenant Colonel Likens is currently a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force and the Statewide Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee.

Lieutenant Colonel Likens began his career with the Illinois State Police in 1997, with his appointment to Cadet Class 94. Upon graduating from the ISP Academy, he was assigned to District 02 (Elgin), where he worked patrol, in the road rage special enforcement program, and as a Vehicle Investigations Officer. He was a field training officer, an emergency vehicle operations instructor, and a member of the crowd control team. In 2006, he was promoted to Sergeant in patrol and then took command of the Special Enforcement Team. In 2009, Lieutenant Colonel Likens was promoted to Master Sergeant in the Crime Scene Services Command, where he oversaw crime scene investigations and polygraph services for northeast Illinois. In 2012, Lieutenant Colonel Likens was assigned to Zone 3 Investigations as the squad leader for violent crimes. In 2013, he was assigned as the Director of the Tri-County Auto Theft Task Force. In 2015, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned as the group supervisor under the Chicago High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Tri-County Initiative, overseeing four undercover narcotics units. In 2021, he was promoted to Captain and assigned as the Commander of Zone 1 Investigations. Lieutenant Colonel Likens holds a bachelor’s degree in Management from Benedictine University and attended Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, serving as the Vice President of Class #473, where he was awarded the Franklin M. Kreml Leadership Award.

• Lieutenant Colonel Scott Ahrens
• Assistant Deputy Director

Lieutenant Colonel Scott Ahrens was appointed as the Assistant Deputy Director for the Division of Criminal Investigation Statewide Support Command in April 2024. Lieutenant Colonel Ahrens chairs the Department’s Emergency Vehicle Operations Review Board and has been appointed as a voting delegate to the Illinois Homeland Security Advisory Council (former ITTF) and the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS). He also serves on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Judicial Security and Safety, assisting the courts in reviewing and improving their security operations and infrastructure.

Lieutenant Colonel Ahrens joined the ISP in 2006, serving in District 6 Patrol. He later became a K-9 Officer and a Sergeant before moving to the Executive Protection Unit in 2016. Lieutenant Colonel Ahrens also served as the Special Projects Master Sergeant in District 9, the Detail Leader in the Executive Protection Unit, and the Operations Lieutenant in District 6. He became the Commander of the Executive Protection Unit in 2018 and was appointed as a Major within the Director’s Office in 2022, where he oversaw the Executive Protection Unit, the Office of Strategic Planning, and the Bureau of Research and Development. Lieutenant Colonel Ahrens has served many years as a Range Instructor, Rifle Instructor, Rapid Deployment Instructor, and Physical Fitness Monitor. He is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice. In January 2023, he graduated from Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command. Lieutenant Colonel Ahrens is an avid fundraiser and volunteer for Special Olympics Illinois and participates in the organization’s annual Torch Run.