Retirement for North Chicago police chief under fire

Retirement for North Chicago police chief under fire


by Judy Masterson
jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com
Last Modified: Mar 1, 2012 12:15PM

North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham on Monday announced the retirement of embattled Police Chief Michael Newsome.

Newsome, who was a 14-year veteran of the department when he was appointed by Rockingham in 2005, spent his last two months on the job under increasing pressure in the wake of the Nov. 13 death of Darrin “Dagwood” Hanna.

Hanna, 45, never recovered from injuries allegedly inflicted during his Nov. 6 arrest on a domestic battery charge. An outcry ensued and a stream of both new and old allegations of excessive police force emerged, some resulting in successful litigation against the city.

Newsome, 50, was placed on administrative leave with pay by Rockingham on Jan. 3, pending the outcome of multiple investigations into Hanna’s death and after four aldermen voted for his removal.

Newsome’s retirement was effective Feb. 24. In a letter to Rockingham, he said he was thankful for “the opportunity to serve and protect the citizens of North Chicago.”

“I have had the chance to make many meaningful relationships, both personal and professional,” he stated.

Rockingham called Newsome “a consummate law enforcement professional and a tremendous team player.”

“While I recognize that there has been a great deal of controversy in the last several months regarding issues of police use of force, I have known Mike Newsome to be a person committed to the protection and safety of all the residents of North Chicago and one who always acted in a manner he felt was best for the citizens, as well as members of the department,” Rockingham said in a prepared statement.

Gloria Carr of North Chicago, Hanna’s mother, who is pursuing a wrongful death suit against the city in federal court and who wants the officers involved in her son’s arrest charged with murder, is taking no satisfaction in Newsome’s retirement.

“In a way I’m sad he’s going because they used him,” Carr said. “He’s the scapegoat. Newsome to me is an OK person. He just looked the other way too often.”

Third Ward Ald. Valerie DeVost, a frequent critic of Rockingham’s administration, isn’t satisfied either.

“I don’t hold Newsome as responsible as Mayor Rockingham and Chuck Smith (city attorney),” she said. “They knew about all the lawsuits before they came to the City Council.”

Rockingham and Smith have countered that aldermen were supplied information on lawsuits in executive session.

DeVost has asked Smith to provide a record of every lawsuit filed against the city since 2005. In a related move, the council has resurrected an Audit Committee as a way to track pending litigation against the city.

“Newsome’s head was on the block, but the person who needs to step down is the leader of this community, who knew about the complaints when Newsome didn’t take care of them,” DeVost said.

Newsome’s replacement by interim Chief James Jackson, a retired Chicago police commander who took over the department the first week of February, provoked criticism that the city was paying two chief salaries. Jackson is earning $9,000 per month.

The city, which continues to wait for the results of independent investigations into Hanna’s death by the Lake County Coroner’s Office and Illinois State Police, is paying $100 an hour to retired State Police Col. Robert Johnson to conduct an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Hanna’s arrest. Johnson is also investigating complaints of police brutality by five others over an 18-month period beginning in mid-2010.

Newsome previously served as a shift commander and detective. He oversaw initiatives including installation of the city’s first surveillance cameras and the patrolling of three Navy housing subdivisions, an addition of about 1,000 homes.

During his tenure, according to Rockingham, the “crime index rate” in the city dropped.

Rockingham said Newsome “presided over a very difficult time when the city has been limited in resources.”

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