Members of the Elmhurst Police Department, city leaders and police officers from other departments joined family and community members Friday morning to honor and remember Chief Michael Ruth, who died May 30 after leading the department for 10 years.
Ruth served in law enforcement for 44 years. He joined the department in October 2012, coming to Elmhurst from Countryside, where he was chief from 2010 to 2012. Before that, he spent 29 years with the Skokie Police Department, beginning there as a uniformed patrol officer and moving up to police commander.
Elmhurst Deputy Chief Michael McLean noted Ruth’s long career as he welcomed those present.
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“For Mike Ruth, it was definitely a calling,” McLean said. “He loved police work; he loved developing police officers to be the best that we could be.”
Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin spoke of Ruth’s hiring, when city officials were looking for a candidate skilled in community oriented policing.
“Chief Ruth immediately began working to make a difference,” Levin said. “He also believed in making the people of Elmhurst the first priority.”
Levin cited Ruth’s work in implementing the citizen’s police academy and evening roll calls in neighborhoods all around Elmhurst.
City officials noted that in his 10 years leading the Elmhurst department, Ruth built strong community support, implemented new crime prevention technologies, and helped achieve Tier 1 state accreditation for the department.
Police Chief John Madden of Burr Ridge talked about his 42-year friendship with Ruth, drawing laughs with stories of Ruth the practical joker. But he was serious as he talked of the positive impact Ruth had on organizational culture.
“Mike was an outstanding leader and a mentor with a strong moral compass,” Madden said.
Barry Silverberg, retired chief of the Skokie Police Department where Ruth served for 29 years, said it was there Ruth found his niche in crime prevention. Ruth was a member of the SWAT team there and participated in a successful hostage negotiation.
“As a sergeant, Mike also served as the public information officer for Skokie,” Silverberg said, adding that Ruth always made sure reporters got the story right.
Ruth also contributed to the profession of law enforcement as an adjunct professor, teaching criminal justice students at the University of Illinois-Chicago and Governors State University, according to city sources. He was a graduate of the 207th Session of the FBI National Academy and past president of the West Suburban Chiefs of Police Association.
Friday’s memorial closed with a ceremonial final radio call from DU-COMM, DuPage Public Safety Communications, calling for Ruth with his radio call sign, Echo 70. The dispatcher noted no response from Chief Ruth, end of watch.
Following the ceremony, a procession of police vehicles departed for St. Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleums in Evergreen Park. Many in the community stood by as the procession moved south on York Street leaving Elmhurst.
Ruth, of Crestwood, was 63. He is survived by his wife Susan; a daughter, also Susan; and sisters Patricia Marsicano, Christina Kakuk and Laura Piolatto.
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Here is a gallery of pictures from the service: