Police chief ‘not going anywhere,’ despite vote of no-confidence

There’s a big rift in small-town Gilberts’ police department.

At least that’s according to a letter sent to the Kane County community’s village board last month outlining why the rank-and-file passed a vote of no confidence against Chief Todd Block.

Submitted by Metropolitan Alliance of Police Lodge 423, the 18-page memo is a scathing critique of Block, portraying him as rude, mean and sexist.

“He has removed any semblance of morale,” the letter states.

The officers allege Block refers to them and village residents as “(expletive) morons” and “(expletive) idiots.” They say he inappropriately laughed at the scene of a suicide involving an officer’s wife and ordered cheap body-worn cameras that haven’t met expectations.

He also has officers on the job with expired bullet-resistant vests, even though the village had received money for replacements, and made sexual remarks about a female officer, according to the letter.

“He has created a work environment where everyone is stupid and worthless in his mind,” the letter states.

Block, who started with the department in 1999 and became chief in 2021, told us in an email that he respectfully disagrees with the tone and content of the letter.

“But, stepping back and looking at the big picture, the correspondence did help us all come to the realization that perhaps we can improve overall communications between myself and the officers,” he wrote. “I will be working with (officers) in the near future to develop an approach that encourages regular, candid dialogue about issues that concern them.”

As for the town’s elected leaders, Village President Guy Zambetti said Block has the village board’s backing.

“He has earned our credibility,” Zambetti said. “He's not going anywhere anytime soon.”

Some of the claims against Block, such as that he prevented officers from undergoing supplementary training, are unsupported, Zambetti said. Officers have taken 83 such courses under Block, according to village records, he said.

Zambetti said he met June 27 with leaders of the officers’ union, and has held additional meetings with Block and his staff. He chalks up the discord largely to a lack of communication.

“It sounds like more communication might change some of these feelings,” Zambetti said.

Block agreed, adding that the criticisms hit “close to home personally and professionally.”

“The only way forward in my view is to make sure we’re talking to one another, and more importantly, listening,” he wrote us. “There will be plenty of that ahead, hopefully, and I look forward to getting it started.”

Not just the boss

Besides criticizing the chief, the letter takes the village to task over the condition of the police station.

Somebody filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over mold, for one thing. The no-confidence letter also states that a small building where evidence is stored, called the rat hut, is not secure and has mold.

Officers have heard animals in the ceiling of the main building, there is a smell of decay, there are nesting materials in the booking room, and more, according to the letter.

The department has eight full-time and several part-time officers that serve a community of about 9,000 residents.

Trending topic

Block isn’t the first suburban chief to face a vote of no confidence this year.

Wheeling Chief Jamie Dunne stepped down in March — nearly three months before his scheduled retirement — after most of his department’s unionized officers signed a no-confidence letter in February.

And Oakbrook Terrace Chief Casey Calvello was placed on leave in February, after officers submitted a no-confidence vote citing low morale and high turnover.

Kudos for Cook

The Cook County court system’s Restorative Justice Community Court program recently received a 2025 Achievement Award from the National Association of Counties.

The award honors innovative county government programs that strengthen services for residents.

The restorative justice program was established by Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans in 2017, and works to resolve conflicts through “peace circles” that bring together defendants, their victims, family members and others affected by a crime.

Since its creation, the program has helped more than 600 young adults charged with nonviolent offenses reintegrate into their communities, court officials said.

“We knew from its inception that the RJCC model would be innovative with the attention provided to these young people, who are given a second chance in life,” Evans said in an announcement of the award. “This new lease on life comes to them after they have been held accountable in the restorative justice process.”

Off campus, in control

Does a school hall monitor hold a position of authority over a student off campus and on summer break?

A state appeals court recently answered that question with a “yes,” in a decision upholding the conviction of a former Streamwood school worker accused of sexual misconduct with a student.

Magdiel Perez, 28, is serving an eight-year prison sentence after a Kane County judge in April 2024 found him guilty of two counts of criminal sexual assault while holding a position of trust or authority over the victim.

The charges stemmed from accusations Perez had sexual encounters in the summer of 2022 with a student he met while working as a hall monitor at Tefft Middle School in Streamwood.

Perez appealed the verdict, arguing that his authority over the student “was limited to the halls of the school, during the school year.”

But in a unanimous decision, the Second District Appellate Court of Illinois ruled that the nature of the relationship between Perez and the student didn’t change the instant they left school property.

“A (judge or jury) could conclude that defendant’s authority … persisted during summer break because he retained the potential to act for (the student’s) benefit or detriment once school resumed,” Justice Margaret J. Mullen wrote in the ruling.

According to state records, Perez, of Elgin, is eligible for parole in March 2031.

• Do you have a tip or a comment? Email us at copsandcrime@dailyherald.com.