Cary police chief retires, applies for disability pension

Ron Delelio, the Cary police chief who spent more than two years out of work for several injuries he sustained on duty, is set to retire in July.

Delelio, 48, joined the department in 1990 and is eligible for retirement July 10.

As part of the agreement he signed with the village, Delelio will be paid $121,976.49, a sum that includes his salary, his remaining holiday time for the year and his unspent vacation time.

The village also will continue paying into Delelio's retirement benefits that include pension contributions, the agreement states.

After July 10, the village will no longer pay Delelio his salary, Village Attorney Michael Coppedge said.

Earlier this month, he applied for a disability pension that members from the Cary Police Pension Fund are now considering.

Line-of-duty pension recipients can collect up to 65 percent of their salary - Delelio's base salary is $100,963.20.

Delelio, a 20-year police veteran, is too young to apply for a regular Illinois police pension that requires the applicant to be at least 50.

To collect a disability pension, you can be any age, but you must prove your injuries were career ending.

Delelio, the village's chief since 2001, went on injury leave on Feb. 26, 2008, after falling down a flight of stairs at the station a month earlier.

Barry Ketter, Delelio's then-attorney, said his client injured his back, neck, right shoulder, left ankle, right hand and spine in the fall - injuries he said meant the end of Delelio's police career.

Deputy Chief Ed Fetzer has been acting chief ever since.

Meanwhile, Delelio collected disability payments and medical expenses from the village while he recovered.

Delelio is reimbursing Cary for those disability payments, which were two-thirds of his salary, Coppedge said. Under Illinois law, you cannot collect both a salary and disability payments, which is why Delelio is paying the village back.

Jason Williamson, president of Cary's police pension fund, said the board has scheduled a hearing for Friday.

The group is now in the process of determining how Delelio hurt himself and whether those injuries ended his career, Williamson said.

The board has the option of awarding him a non-line-of-duty pension that would be 50 percent of his salary.

The police chief's attorney, Anthony Argeros, did not respond to requests for comment.