When Richard Stultz began heading Steger’s law enforcement efforts in 1995, another police chief advised him to forget about outside activities.
“At the time, I didn’t understand what he meant. Now I do,” said Stultz, who was a Chicago Heights police department captain before becoming Steger’s top cop.
In the past two years, Stultz has focused on improving the Steger department. He has expanded the number of full-time patrol officers to 11 from 7 and ensured training for all officers. He also has established new law enforcement positions based, he said, on matching officers’ abilities and interests with the needs of the village of 8,500 people.
Village President Lou Sherman said, “(I am) extremely pleased with how things have been going and expect things to be better in ’98.” Sherman credits Stultz with reorganizing the department.
In addition to the previously existing D.A.R.E. officer position, Steger now boasts a K-9 unit, a juvenile officer, two field training officers and a bike patrol. In addition, a patrol officer now is involved with the Will County sheriff’s department gang crimes unit. The juvenile officer role has expanded to include senior citizens, in recognition of the elderly’s special needs.
In keeping with his original goal of delegating power, Stultz promoted one of Steger’s three sergeants in February to a newly created commander position. But Stultz said he doubts his management style “will ever be 100 percent hands-off. In a small department, it can’t be.”
The departmental changes haven’t pleased all of the officers serving this community. But Stultz dismisses a spate of grievances filed by the union local representing police officers. He characterizes the action as a power struggle.
“They’ve mistaken kindness for weakness. Any weakness I had, I got rid of in 30 years of police work.”
Stultz has the backing of Sherman, who oversaw his selection from a field of eight candidates.
“You’re not going to get 100 percent where everybody’s smiling all the time,” the village president said. “The men are a lot happier than they were.”
Stultz, whose contract is on a year-to-year basis, declined to speculate about his position with the department beyond 1998. He said he requested the open-ended association.
“I wanted it to be the kind of relationship where we can sit down every so often and see if we still like each other professionally. In this kind of job, it’s not unusual for one side to grow tired of the other.”