La Grange began addressing its shortage of law enforcement personnel Monday when the Village Board approved four new police officers.
“We’re still down three officers,” Police Chief Robert Wardlaw said before the new recruits were sworn in. “They just completed studies at the Police Academy Friday, and they will start with 14 weeks of field training.”
All of the new recruits are graduates of the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy (SLEA) at the College of DuPage.
One new officer, Katelyn Huber, earned a B.S. in Law Enforcement and Justice Administration from Northern Illinois University and most recently worked as a court security officer for the Kane County Sheriff’s Department.
Another new hire Hector Serna, has an Associate Degree from Morton College and has worked as an Installation Helper for Four seasons Heating and Cooling while also serving as an auxiliary police officer for the Rosemont Public Safety Department.
Brandon Camacho earned an Emergency Medical Technician Basic Certificate from the College of Lake County and studied Physical Education (K-12) at the city College of Chicago and Western Illinois University.
Camacho’s most recent employment was in the Chicago Public School District as a special needs teacher’s assistant.
Benjamin Reitz has a B.A. in criminal justice with a minor in business from Carthage College whose most recent employment was as a park maintenance specialist with the Naperville Park District.
La Grange Village President Mark Kuchler spoke of the nationwide difficulties in staffing law enforcement and the risks accompanying a career in law enforcement
“It’s very difficult at this time,” he said of the hiring process, before speaking directly to Camacho’s mother Kim and his fiancee, Marisol Rodriguez, a Chicago Police Officer. “You know the sacrifices officers face and the sacrifices of their loved ones.”
“Of course I’m nervous,” Kim said. “It is a dangerous job. But I’m very, very proud of him.”
Wardlaw he hoped to have more recruits in the new SLEA class in mid-January.
The La Grange Fire Department filled openings for fire captain and lieutenant at the same meeting.
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James Baum was sworn in as replacement for the retiring Captain Dave Rapp.
Baum began as a firefighter paramedic in 2009 after serving in the United States Army as a staff sergeant in Iraq and South Korea. He holds a B.A. in Public Service Administration and is currently working on his M.A. in the same discipline from Lewis University.
Replacing Baum as Fire Lieutenant is firefighter paramedic, Eric Jaeger.
Jaeger began his fire fighting career with La Grange in 2009 and previously served in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom, rising to the ranks of Sargent.
The next La Grange Village Board Meeting will be 7:30 p.m., Oct. 10, at the La Grange Village Hall, 53 S. La Grange Rd.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.