Retiring longtime Lake Zurich cop honored
Boston sports is an unlikely topic for a Lake Zurich village board meeting, but the Red Sox, Bruins and more arose when retiring police Cmdr. David Bradstreet was honored for his service.
At a meeting Monday night, Mayor Thomas Poynton read a proclamation highlighting Bradstreet's 27-year village career. Bradstreet, 50, served as the main police media spokesman for several years as part of his job.
Bradstreet, whose Lake Zurich career officially concludes today, said he doesn't have any specific plans other than to train his family's yellow Labrador puppy.
"So, the reality is, I appreciate the kind words from the mayor, but it's been my honor and privilege to serve the residents of Lake Zurich," Bradstreet said. "Lake Zurich is Lake Zurich, but it's the people that make it special."
Before detailing Bradstreet's career, Poynton delved into the Massachusetts native's passion for Boston sports. Poynton provided his selections of the city's top 10 athletes for Bradstreet.
Poynton ticked off the Bruins' Bobby Orr, the Red Sox's Ted Williams and the Celtics' Bill Russell - all Hall of Famers. He also included Boston College quarterback Doug Flute, long remembered for his miraculous, game-winning pass against the University of Miami when time expired in 1984.
Another Bruins player on the list was recalled in great detail by Poynton, a Buffalo native.
"Wayne Cashman is on this list because, being a Buffalo Sabres fan, I remember a fight on Dec. 13, 1972, between the Sabres and Bruins that crashed through the boards and ended up to where the Zamboni machine comes out," Poynton said as Bradstreet stood nearby. "And it was Cashman and Jim Schoenfeld. They fought for like 20 minutes. Best fight I ever saw."
Bradstreet, who attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, started his Lake Zurich career as a dispatcher in 1988 and became a sworn police officer five years later. His many duties included field training officer, use-of-force instructor, Metropolitan Enforcement Group agent, sergeant and commander.
"Tonight, we say goodbye to a gentleman who arguably belongs on the top-10 list of the all-time best Lake Zurich cops," Poynton said. "And he is the biggest Boston sports fan in the village of Lake Zurich."
Environmental quality control supervisor Betty Harrison, a member of the village's employee relations committee, also thanked Bradstreet for his service.
Not only did the Lake Zurich Police Department provide a job for Bradstreet, but it also is where he met his wife, Denise. She will continue working as a police officer.
About a dozen police officers were in the rear of the village hall on Bradstreet's big night.
"It's my brothers and sisters back there," he said. "They make the department what it is. They make our village what it is. I appreciate them all. I appreciate their support for coming out."
Bradstreet said his family settled in the Town of Rowley, Massachusetts, a few years before it was incorporated in 1639. He said his sons are 14th generation Americans.