Joel began his police career as an officer with the Naperville Police Department in September of 1985. He was a patrol officer and Field-Training officer until January 1991, when he was transferred to the Investigations Division as a fraud investigator. Joel was elected to the Naperville Police Pension Board in 1992 as a trustee and in 1994 Joel was elected President of the Naperville board, and still holds that position today. In June of 1996, Joel was promoted to Sergeant, where he was assigned to the patrol division until December of 2002, when he was transferred to Internal Affairs Division. Joel worked as Naperville Police Internal Affairs supervisor and the department of Public Information Officer, and in July, 2007 was promoted to Lieutenant of Naperville Police Department.

Joel was elected to the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association Board of Directors in 2001 and re-elected in 2005, and in 2003 Joel was instrumental in making the IPPFA 457 plan one of the three providers to the City of Naperville.