Jan. 13--Fox Lake trustees approved a contract with a new interim police chief but postponed plans to swear him in at a Village Board meeting Tuesday night.
The village previously announced that Russell B. Laine, who most recently served as Algonquin's police chief, would be sworn in at Tuesday night's village board meeting. But village spokesman Dave Bayless said there are a few "personnel matters" the current interim chief needs to wrap up before the transition becomes official.
Bayless declined to comment further on the interim chief's remaining business but said the village expected to swear in Laine next week.
Village officials said in a statement last week that they had unanimously chosen Laine, 65, a nearly 40-year law enforcement veteran, to lead the Fox Lake Police Department and oversee reforms before selecting a long-term chief.
Mayor Donny Schmit said the village's police department presented a series of challenges in recent months.
"Every day it seemed like something new was hitting us in the face," he said.
"I think Russ is the man to lead us forward."
Laine, who lives in Elgin, will replace Michael Keller, a deputy chief at the Lake County sheriff's office who has been acting as Fox Lake's chief since September. Keller was brought in to provide interim leadership after a two-week period in which the previous chief resigned amid an internal investigation and a top lieutenant's fatal shooting, which was later ruled a suicide.
Calling the position a "great opportunity," Laine said he agreed to a one-year, $120,000 contract with Fox Lake, which village officials said could be extended.
Laine said he began shadowing Keller on Monday, meeting the Fox Lake officers and learning about the department.
"Everybody's been very hospitable and wanting to share information," he said.
Last year, Laine retired from the Algonquin Police Department, which he'd led since 1984. He has also served as chief in Edgerton, Wis. and Bartlett.
"More than anything, we need to bring proven leadership and stability to the FLPD so we can implement changes to modernize the department and ensure that we are doing everything we can to deliver professional and effective public safety services to our residents," Village Administrator Anne Marrin said in a statement.
Fox Lake's former chief, Michael Behan, retired after being placed on leave amid a probe into a scuffle between an officer and a man who was arrested in December 2014. Three officers acknowledged wrongdoing and received suspensions last month.
Days after Behan's departure, Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was found fatally shot in a remote, marshy area of the village. Authorities later ruled his death a suicide and said he had allegedly been stealing from a youth policing group he ran for years.
The Algonquin Police Department saw some controversy in Laine's early years. In 1990, Laine called for the McHenry County state's attorney office and Illinois State Police to investigate his department following a number of citizen complaints.
Prosecutors said some complaints raised legitimate concerns but found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, though one officer was fired after a dispatcher committed suicide in his home after a quarrel.
Laine said he dealt with the situation in Algonquin and thinks "the reputation of Algonquin speaks for itself."
"In Fox Lake, we're looking to the future, looking at our operations and the way we do business," he said.
lzumbach@tribpub.com
