New Mount Prospect police chief introduced to village
Mount Prospect's new police chief may be the first person chosen from outside the department to lead the agency since 2001, but John Koziol wasted no time making himself at home on his first day Wednesday.
Koziol was sworn in as the village's top cop at Wednesday's village board meeting. Before the meeting, he met with the public during a reception at village hall. He also had the chance to meet the officers who will be serving under him.
"It will take me a while to get a lay of the land, but hopefully I can bring some ideas that they haven't heard before," he said. "This is a good department. This isn't some place that needs fixing."
Koziol is no stranger to the top spot. He served as chief in Palatine from 2002 to 2014, after starting there as a patrol officer in 1985 and climbing through the ranks to sergeant, commander and eventually deputy chief of field operations.
Mount Prospect officials hired him in November to replace former Chief Timothy Janowick, who retired in October after two months on leave for undisclosed reasons.
"John showed the selection team he is genuinely committed to law enforcement leadership," said Village Manager Michael Cassady, who worked with Koziol when he was village manager in Palatine. "John has honed those critical management and interpersonal skills and will bring immediate value to our high-performing leadership team in Mount Prospect."
Since leaving Palatine in 2014, Koziol has served as a police officer in Inverness.
"I was having a nice time in Inverness, but it was quiet," he said.
Koziol stressed the importance of community involvement in successful law enforcement, citing the case of the 1993 Brown's Chicken murders in Palatine. Police solved the case after a member of the public came forward with crucial information.
"Our goal will not be only to keep the citizens of Mount Prospect safe, but to feel safe as well," he said. "As a police officer, you are put on this planet to catch bad guys. With the community's help, that's exactly what we are going to do."
Also Wednesday, village trustees recognized Deputy Chief Michael Eterno, who received a standing ovation for his service as acting chief after Janowick's departure.
"I think he is going to be a great fit for Mount Prospect," Eterno said of Koziol. "As many of us know, he has a very distinguished law enforcement career. He is very well respected in the law enforcement community."