Pneumonia puts Algonquin police chief in hospital
Algonquin Police Chief Russell Laine, a man known for supporting stricter gun control laws and rubbing elbows with the president, has been hospitalized the past two weeks with double pneumonia, a family spokesman said Tuesday.
On April 15, Laine, 57, checked into Sherman Hospital in Elgin to uncover the source of a persistent cough, said Ignacio "Joe" Pena, the Laine family's spokesman and East Dundee's retired police chief.
Doctors found that Algonquin's police chief of 23 years had pneumonia and he's been at Sherman since.
Laine remains in the intensive care unit and Laine's wife, Patty, family members and friends, including Pena, have kept him company throughout.
Pena, Laine's friend for more than 30 years, said the chief is in stable condition and that doctors continue to run tests.
Doctors don't yet know how Laine contracted the lung infection or when they'll release him from the hospital, Pena said.
"From the standpoint of progress over the last few days, he's responding to medication," Pena said. "The pneumonia hasn't gotten any better, it hasn't gotten any worse. It's just hanging there."
In Laine's absence, the police department's two deputy police chiefs are handling day-to-day activities, Village Manager William Ganek said.
Throughout his tenure, Laine has built an international reputation in the law enforcement community for himself, and Algonquin by extension.
Laine came to Algonquin in 1985, around the time reporters descended on the village to cover its link to the hijacking of a Trans World Airways jetliner, said Village Clerk Jerry Kautz, another longtime friend.
A large group from Algonquin's St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church was aboard the international flight when terrorists commandeered it as it flew from Athens to Rome.
"I came to this little sleepy town and it was overrun with news media from all over the country," Laine said in 2006.
Laine also has lobbied Washington to keep $1.1 billion in funding for local law enforcement agencies and is first vice president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Last year, the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence presented Laine with its Law Enforcement Award for his work in renewing the Federal Assault Weapons ban in 2004 and his service to the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He is past president of the Illinois Association of Police Chiefs.
Through all the accolades, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois remains close to Laine's heart.
Not only did Laine travel with the Illinois delegation to the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in China, but he also was part of the torch lighting ceremony at the White House with President Bush.
Pena, now police chief in South suburban Channahon, asked that everyone keep Laine in their thoughts and prayers.
"I told him to get better because I need him out here," Pena said.
Wish the chief well
• Algonquin Police Chief Russell Laine remains in intensive care and cannot receive phone calls or see anyone who isn't family or a close friend.
• If you would like to wish the chief a speedy recovery or send a message to his family, please mail them to:
Algonquin Police Department Chief of Police Russell Laine 2200 Harnish Drive Algonquin, IL 60102