Fox River Grove candidates have little hope to end police turnover

Police officers are leaving the Fox River Grove force at a high rate for better-paying jobs elsewhere, and the three candidates running for village president say they're not sure they can stop the bleeding.

Losing officers to nearby towns offering higher pay is a frequent problem, said Police Chief Ron Lukasik, whose officers earn $40,106 in their first year on the job.

"It's hard for a community our size to compete," Lukasik said. "Being a small town, money is tight. Finances are tight."

The village seven years ago set up a police pension fund, hoping it would give officers incentive to remain on the force. But even that hasn't stemmed the tide.

Three officers jumped ship since Lukasik became chief 16 months ago, with their departures creating problems with patrol shift scheduling, he said.

Already Lukasik has had to hire six new officers - three who left before he was chief and three since his appointment.

The department currently includes 13 sworn officers, including the chief. Most are new to policing.

Candidate Robert Nunamaker has a solution, but doubts it will be viable, given these tough economic times.

"The answer to the problem would be paying the police more, and I think that in this environment, that's not going to happen," said Nunamaker, who is running against Paulette Pelletier and Suzanne Blohm for the four-year term as village president.

In the meantime, he suggests working with officers to keep their training current through seminars, such as an upcoming citizen sensitivity training session.

Blohm says the village should accept that unless it pays officers more money, it will continue to have a transient police force.

"I think we need to take the stance of, 'We are a training ground ... and we aren't going to be able to do the salaries other places are,'" Blohm said. Pelletier, who served briefly as president after Kay Laube died in office last year, says a pair of ongoing initiatives will help make the department more attractive to its officers.

A clause in the officers' union contract that orders them to reimburse the department for their training if they leave before their four-year service anniversary could help deter early departures, she said.

A deal that would let newer officers work 12-hour shifts twice a month in exchange for a three-day weekend is now in the works and awaiting union approval, Pelletier said.

"That's going to make the younger officers very happy," she said.