Interim chief quits amid turmoil in North Chicago police department

Interim chief quits amid turmoil in North Chicago police department


By Robert McCoppin
Tribune reporter
10:23 AM CST, January 11, 2012

North Chicago’s interim police chief has quit amid disagreement over who should run the troubled department.

Michael Hosking, former police chief for Lake Forest, quit after city council members disputed Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr.’s appointment of him without consulting them, Community Information Coordinator Tamara Siwula said Wednesday.

Siwula said Hosking made the decision after Monday’s City Council meeting in which aldermen objected to Hosking's appointment without their input.

“Because of the fighting over the appointment, he decided it wouldn’t be in the best interests of the city for him to continue,” she said.

The department has been hit with multiple allegations of police brutality. The most serious recent case involved the arrest in November of Darrin Hanna, a 45-year-old resident who died a week after allegedly being beaten and Tasered by police.

Because of additional allegations that have arisen since then, the mayor placed Chief Michael Newsome on paid leave last week and appointed Hosking to replace him temporarily.

The city set a special council meeting for today to challenge the mayor’s appointment of former Illinois State Police regional commander Robert Johnson to investigate the handling of Hanna’s arrest. State police are also investigating Hanna’s death.

At the same time, city officials are also looking to fill the vacant position of deputy chief.

Until then, the department will be run by the existing chain of command, Siwula said, though she did not know who is at the top. She said the mayor will try to choose a new interim chief as soon as possible.

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