Island Lake may hire firm to help find new police chief
Island Lake trustees are considering hiring a suburban company to help find its next police chief.
The Bloomingdale-based Gold Shield Detective Agency is being considered for the job. Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee is the company's president.
Current Interim Police Chief Dan Palmer is an employee of the agency and was hired through a contract between Island Lake and Gold Shield. Palmer, a former Bartlett police chief, has said he doesn't want the Island Lake job permanently.
If hired for the search, Gold Shield will review the job description for police chief, develop minimum qualifications for applicants, advertise the position and handle other related tasks, village documents indicate. The company would be paid $7,000 for its work.
The village board was scheduled to approve the contract Thursday night but postponed the vote. The contract could be approved as soon as next month.
Palmer's predecessor in Island Lake, Anthony Sciarrone, was fired in October for poor record-keeping and other issues, officials have said.
Sciarrone had been Island Lake's top cop since 2015. He resigned from the village board to take the job.
Sciarrone recently filed to run for re-election to the village board in April 2019. As one of three candidates for three seats, he's virtually assured victory.
The other candidates are fire and police commission member Richard W. McLaughlin Jr. and resident William Ziegler.