Mount Prospect police chief cleared in chase

A high-speed police chase that took place in August and involved Mount Prospect Police Chief John Dahlberg did not violate any departmental guidelines or procedures, Village Manager Michael Janonis has ruled in a formal review.

Janonis issued his report on the chase earlier this month, and he said Tuesday he considers the matter closed.

“We do six to eight of these reviews a year,” he said. “Every chase gets a formal review. I’m satisfied that this one is complete.”

Dahlberg could not be reached for comment.

The chase occurred on Aug. 19. Dahlberg, who was in a “semi-marked” police vehicle, clocked a motorcycle going 70 mph on Golf Road near See-Gwun Avenue, an area with a posted speed limit of 40 mph. Dahlberg pursued the motorcycle through the village at speeds that reached 90 mph, before the driver of the motorcycle lost control and crashed near a vacant lot on Dempster Street. No one was injured.

The driver of the motorcycle, Pavel Yemelyanov, 29, of Des Plaines, was arrested and charged with speeding, improper lane use, disobeying a red light and reckless driving.

In his review, Janonis found that Dahlberg conducted the chase in a reasonable and professional manner. The review states that Dahlberg initiated the chase only after Yemelyanov saw that Dahlberg wanted to pull him over and refused to stop. The chase lasted 50 seconds, and did not endanger any other motorists or pedestrians, the review states.

Mount Prospect police Cmdr. John Gross, on his way to assist in the pursuit, was involved in a collision with another car. The accident was minor, did not result in any injuries and was not directly caused by the pursuit, the review states.

Janonis said in his report that he based his review on examinations of the police department’s arrest report, videos from the pursuit, records from Northwest Central Dispatch System and other materials. Among the factors he took into account were the weather conditions during the pursuit, visibility, traffic conditions, the nature of the offense and Dahlberg’s service record.

Per police department policy, all police pursuits are reviewed by the department. Because this one involved the chief, the review was handled by the village manager.

“Our police department takes these kinds of pursuits very seriously,” Janonis said. “In this case, I found that all guidelines were followed.”