Former Mount Prospect Police Chief Pavlock dies at 77

Former Mount Prospect Police Chief Ronald Pavlock is being remembered for his community involvement and encouraging his rank-and-file officers to discuss anything with him.

The Lake Zurich resident died Feb. 23, according to an obituary. He was 77.

Pavlock arrived in Mount Prospect in 1981 after serving five years as a police chief in Woodridge and holding previous law-enforcement jobs in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where he began in 1964. He ended his 36-year law-enforcement career when he retired as Mount Prospect's chief in January 2001.

Among his honors, he was elected president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in 1994.

Retired officer Bill Roscop, who became well known as a Mount Prospect police spokesman, said it was a time of significant transition for the department when Pavlock arrived. Roscop said the "kind of old-school, 'Dragnet'-style" police had to get used to a chief who wanted to involve the entire community.

"The hard part was you had a bunch of coppers who were all trained a different way," Roscop said Thursday. "It was his job to change the philosophy of the department."

Pavlock's style included a desire to get to know the officers and their families, along with becoming part of Mount Prospect through participation in service clubs and other groups. Roscop said Pavlock had an open-door policy and welcomed discussion with his officers.

Under Pavlock, Mount Prospect became one of the first police departments in Illinois to receive national accreditation. To become accredited, departments must show, through an evaluation process, that they meet a list of stringent standards established by a national organization consisting of law-enforcement officials and civilians.

As a result of racial profiling allegations that surfaced against the department in early 2000, Pavlock enacted a rule that the race of all drivers stopped by his officers would be noted in reports. Mount Prospect also adopted a policy specifically prohibiting racial profiling and eliminated all ticket quotas.

"He persevered through this, despite the pain," Roscop said.

Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 10, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 33 S. Buesching Road, Lake Zurich. A presentation of colors will be held during the Mass by the Mount Prospect Police Department Honor Guard.

A private family burial will follow in Gethsemane Cemetery, in New Hope, Minnesota.