Round Lake Heights top cop to resign

Add another name to the list of retiring police chiefs in Lake County after longtime Round Lake Heights' top cop, Don Johnson, announced he will step down in the next couple of months.

Johnson, who has led the department for the past 17 years, simply said "it's time" for him to leave law enforcement.

"I'll miss it every day," he said. "It's one of those jobs I really looked forward to going to when I got out of bed."

In July, Lindenhurst Police Chief Jack McKeever announced he would retire later this year after 17 years leading his department.

Johnson said he turned in his retirement letter to Mayor Terrence Lumpkins in early September, saying he'll leave when a new chief is brought in and is up to speed.

"I'm hoping for mid-October or so," he said. "I'll hang on until they hire the right person for the job. Not for a year or anything, but for a little while."

Johnson started working as a police officer in Libertyville in 1967, and took job as chief in Round Lake Heights in 1994.

When he arrived, the Round Lake Height department had only two full-time officers and operated between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily. Now, the operation has four full-timers, seven part-timers, and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

While the police chief position in Round Lake Heights was once a full-time position, Johnson has slowly scaled back and worked part-time hours for the past several years.

Wauconda Police Chief Doug Larsson, president of the Lake County Police Chief's Association, said Johnson took a caring attitude into police work and put them to good use throughout his career.

"He always brought a wonderful sense of humor to work with him," Larsson said. "And, he truly was one of the most optimistic police chiefs I have ever met."

Larsson added that Johnson often made light of his part-time status, poking fun at other chiefs who pulled long hours.

"He really liked to tease other chiefs that he could get off at noon, while other chiefs had to stay a whole day," he Larsson said. "He had a great sense of humor and it helped him."

Johnson admitted that sense of humor made the stress of being a police officer easier.

"Being a police officer is a hard job, sometimes a thankless job, but you just need to keep doing whatever you can to help people," he said. "I really have enjoyed every single day of it. But, it's time to move on."