The Joliet Police Department has filled its top command posts.
At its meeting Tuesday, the Joliet City Council took time to introduce four deputy police chiefs.
Darrell Gavin, Marc Reid, John Perona and Michael Batis are newly promoted members of the Joliet Police Department.
“The police department is going to be moving forward and has been [headed in a] very positive direction with their help and leadership,” Police Chief Al Roechner said.
The promotions were made possible this year, in part, because of a series of retirements.
Roechner noted that all of them have served the city’s Neighborhood-Oriented Policing Team.
Joliet Police did not immediately fill the vacancies as they arose. At the time, officials said the department is likely to move in a different direction.
The prospect of restructuring the Joliet Police Department arose amid an unfair labor practice complaint filed by a long-time staff member.
Around that time, then-Police Chief Brian Benton announced his intent to step down from his post.
Shortly thereafter, Roechner was selected to serve as the top cop on an interim basis.
The city at its Dec. 4 meeting took time to conduct a swearing-in ceremony for Roechner to solidify his transition to being named police chief.
Each of the new deputy police chiefs took time to share a few words before members of the Joliet City Council.
Round it up
The following is a brief recap of action taken at Tuesday’s meeting of the Joliet City Council:
Council action approves the city’s balanced budget of $185.2 million for fiscal year 2019. This includes funding for the Old Joliet Prison and the Rialto Square Theatre.
The city secured an intergovernmental agreement with the Forest Preserve District of Will County for services related to the Hollywood Road/Houbolt Road interchange modification and roadway reconstruction project. It stipulates that the city is responsible to compensate the Forest Preserve District of Will County for $146.8 million.
The council adopted a property tax levy of $43.3 million to cover costs for the city’s annual budget and includes funds for the library.
Council action approves a contract that will provide for a condition analysis and structural assessment of the Old Joliet Prison. According to a council memo, the amount authorized for payment is not to exceed $74,000.