Excerpts from the dailyherald.com:
Elk Grove Village Fire Chief Richard Mikel, the Northwest suburb’s fire chief since 2012 and the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association’s chief of the year in 2018, was appointed interim police chief Tuesday as village officials continue their search for a permanent replacement for Chuck Walsh, who retired in March.
Deputy Police Chief Dan Burke had been serving as acting chief while the village sought assistance from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police to identify someone for an interim role, before beginning the search for a long-term successor.
The mayor turned down the idea of bringing in someone from the outside on a temporary basis. He said Mikel already has a familiarity with the police department and staff.
Mikel will be tasked with identifying opportunities to further develop and strengthen leadership within the ranks and help guide the agency until a permanent leader is identified. Burke and fellow Deputy Police Chief Christopher Torres will continue to run the department’s day-to-day operations.
Deputy Fire Chief Nathan Gac will serve as acting fire chief while Mikel is on full-time assignment in the police department.
The mayor said the village has no interest in moving to a combined public safety department, where police and fire would have a combined leadership command structure.
