After 2 months on leave, Mount Prospect chief agrees to retire
More than two months after he was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons, Mount Prospect Police Chief Timothy Janowick has struck a deal with village leaders to retire, officials announced Wednesday.
"This decision was made after much personal thought and consultation with my family," Janowick said in a written statement announcing his retirement. "I know it is the right decision for me personally and it was a tremendous honor to work alongside the dedicated men and women in the department to serve the community for all these years."
The Mount Prospect Village Board approved the agreement allowing Janowick to retire effective March 31, 2018, Village Manager Michael Cassady said. Acting Police Chief Mike Eterno will continue to provide day-to-day leadership of the department, he added.
Village leaders put Janowick on leave July 28, but declined to publicly state why. Mayor Arlene Juracek cited the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and other privacy rules when declining to comment.
Janowick was sworn in as a Mount Prospect police officer July 1, 1994. He rose through the ranks and was sworn in as chief on June 17, 2014.
"He is a respected figure in the community who has served the department with loyalty. He has many accomplishments of which to be proud," Cassady said in an announcement of the agreement.
Janowick has complied with all requests for medical information and the department's policy for administrative duty "applicable to personnel who are recovering from medical events" since he went on leave in July, Cassady added.
The announcement came day after the village board recognized employees for years of service, including Eterno, who recently marked his 20th year with the department.
"He (has been) doing a tremendous job from the get-go, leading by example, and we're very happy he has ascended into the ranks," Cassady said.
Eterno came to the department in 1997 from Lindenhurst. He has a bachelor's degree from Benedictine University. During his career in Mount Prospect, he has garnered 34 letters of appreciation, one exceptional performance award, four honorable mentions and nine commendations. He has earned Officer of the Quarter honors and was Officer of the Year in 1999.
"We're trying to make a positive work environment," Eterno said Tuesday, acknowledging "there were a couple morale issues in the agency."
"Before it gets too far out of control, we want to make sure we can get down and talk to the officers, find out what the issues are and start trying to address those issues," he added.
There have also been structural changes in the department, he said, such as the way that beats are assigned. Now there are six permanent beats, with officers working on specific issues that relate to those beats, whether it be traffic safety or property crimes.
"The officers work as a team to try and solve those problems in the community," he said. "And that's something we have never done before."
Eterno called Janowick a good friend and wished him the best.
"But we still have to move on," he said. "We have to continue to run the department, and we're trying to do that."
The village will conduct a nationwide search for a new police chief, Cassady said.