Palatine police are military partners

The Palatine Village Council meeting on Monday started off with a patriotic nod to Police Chief John Koziol.

A Department of Defense organization known as Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve recognized Koziol with its Patriot Award for "contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedoms by supporting employee participation in America's National Guard and Reserve forces."

Koziol was nominated by Palatine Police Officer Mike Dibble, a member of the Army Reserves, who said the chief makes every accommodation possible to allow for participation in unit drills by himself and Police Officer Ron Syc, a member of the Navy Reserves.

The department also continues benefits and makes up the difference in pay when officers are on active duty.

"I'm never made to feel my service is an inconvenience for the department," Dibble wrote in his nomination.

Koziol also sent cards and packages to Police Officer Pat Johnson, who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan with the Illinois Army National Guard Military Police.

Helping out is Koziol's own secretary, Kathy Garcia, a former Marine. She's a member of the Yellow Ribbon Support Group and secures on-the-job training pay through Veterans Affairs.

Koziol said he was humbled by the award and credited village staff for making the police department's accommodations toward military personnel possible.