Chuck Rose at a Glance

From front line cop, to prosecutor to champion of the disabled,

Chuck Rose has led a life of service to others

Chuck Rose grew up in Florida, but after his first trip to DeKalb County, at age 18, he knew that he had found a home. 

Shortly after moving to Genoa, Chuck joined the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.  

As a deputy he handled the typical range of calls that are part of the job, from traffic tickets and neighbor disputes to child abuse and attempted murder and everything in between.  

While working as a deputy, he caught the eye of the State's Attorney at the time who noticed the way that the young officer approached his days in court. He suggested that Chuck consider going to law school and signing on as a prosecutor.  Excited by that encouragement, Chuck got his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, where he helped launch "safe walk" and "safe ride" programs that helped ensure his fellow undergrads were safe.  

He returned to Illinois and enrolled at the NIU College of Law. While working on his law degree, Chuck resumed his work in law enforcement signing on as a part-time police officer in Waterman and as an undercover drug investigator with the North Central Narcotics Task Force.  

After earning his law degree, Chuck went to work at the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office and stepped into court to represent the people of DeKalb County for the first time, and he has never forgotten what a thrill that was.  

“There are two types of lawyers, litigators, the 15% or so, who love to argue cases in court, and those who rarely set foot in a courtroom. I am part of that first group,” says Rose 

For nearly five years he prosecuted the full range of criminal cases, relishing every chance that he got to argue in front of a jury.  

“It is important to me that victims of crime get their day in court, that they get to tell their story,” says Chuck. “In my experience, many victims appreciate simply getting the chance to get in the witness box and confront the defendant. 

Chuck got the opportunity to argue many more cases when he took a job as first assistant State's Attorney in Jo Daviess County, where for nearly four years he handled the prosecution of all criminal cases – from traffic offenses to reckless homicide. While there, he also was integrally involved in advising and representing the county in a wide range of legal matters.  

In 1998, he took a new job that allowed him to continue representing vulnerable members of the community working as a staff attorney for the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission representing children and adults with disabilities in a wide range of legal matters.  

In 2004 he expanded upon his work in that area, moving into private practice focusing on legal representation of families with special needs children including creating special needs trusts and establishing guardianships. He also does estate planning, elder law and Medicaid and Medicare planning.  

Chuck has also been very active in the community through his work with organizations like RAMP (which helps individuals with disabilities) CASA (providing pro bono legal advice to the advocate who represent children in the legal system) and the DeKalb County Community Mental Health Board.

Chuck has also helped educate future generations of law enforcement officers. He was an adjunct faculty member in the criminal justice program at Kishwaukee College for more than 20 years and currently sits on the advisory board for that program. From 2002 until 2010, he was also a part-time instructor in the paralegal program at Elgin Community College teaching mental health and administrative law.  

“I enjoy teaching,” Rose says. “With extensive experience in all these areas I am able to share real world experiences to supplement what was written in the class materials.” 

While working in all those roles, Chuck has also been an active member of the community serving on a wide range of boards and doing pro bono legal work.  

When not working, Chuck and his wife Deb enjoy scuba diving and motorcycle riding. The couple has resided in Sycamore for 25 years.