Eight Kildeer cops losing jobs

Eight full-time Kildeer police officers have received layoff notices as a result of neighboring Deer Park bolting to another agency for law enforcement, officials confirmed Thursday.

Deer Park village board members voted Monday to terminate the policing contract with Kildeer as of Nov. 15. They hired the Lake County sheriff's office to take over those duties.

Kildeer Village President Nandia Black said Deer Park's decision forced her town to send letters to the eight officers, giving them a 30-day advance notice they will be out of work. Kildeer has 14 full-time officers.

“It's truly unfortunate Deer Park made the decision that they did to not continue the Kildeer contract,” Black said Thursday.

In a letter, Deer Park Village President Robert Kellerman stated his village's analysis showed Kildeer wasn't quite up to the 24-hour-a-day coverage as promised by contract.

Deer Park and Kildeer were in the fourth year of a deal that would have expired April 30, 2013. Kildeer was supposed to receive $1.45 million this year for police services.

Lake County sheriff's deputies were policing Deer Park more than 10 years ago.

But when Deer Park Town Center opened more than 10 years ago, the then-village board preferred to get service from a nearby police department and selected Kildeer.

Black and Kildeer Trustee Barbara Stavropoulos said Kildeer residents will continue receiving quality police service despite having fewer officers.

Kildeer Police Chief Louis Rossi couldn't be reached for comment.

Kildeer sent layoff notices to eight cops last summer when Deer Park began seeking police service from other agencies, but the move was rescinded.

The summer notices and the ones sent this week are required by union contract.

At that time, Fraternal Order of Police field representative Joe Kalita said eliminating more than 50 percent of a police department's full-time officers was “unprecedented.”

He couldn't be reached for comment Thursday.