South Barrington police chief to retire

Saying the village deserves a full-time police chief, South Barrington Police Chief Charles A. Gruber will retire at the end of the month.

Gruber, 60, said he wants to focus on his private law enforcement consultation business, which already takes him away from the office about two weeks a month.

He advises officers across the country on the use of force and how to deal with departmental issues, including addressing the media.

Gruber cites educating his police officers and solving departmental personnel issues as some of his proudest achievements in South Barrington. His last day will be Jan. 23. He'll be replaced by Senior Sgt. Michael Deegan, who's spent the last 25 years with South Barrington police.

Village President Frank Munao praised Gruber. He also said Deegan's appointment is a departure from past hiring practices, as previous chiefs came from outside.

"Mike Deegan has the right background and the right knowledge," Munao said.

Munao and Gruber say the summer opening of the Arboretum of South Barrington shopping center will contribute to the need to hire more officers. The department currently employs 20.

When he was hired in 1999, Gruber said he made a deal to work as a police consultant, foregoing his chief's pay when he was away. The village could let him work on the side because it was a "low-key town," he said.

He declined to talk about how much money he made between the two jobs. His 2004 pension as a retiree as chief of the Elgin Police Department was at $77,112, or $4,443 more than his $72,669 salary in South Barrington. But Gruber said money isn't his sole motivator.

His eight years in Elgin included charges of race discrimination within the department, which brought a lawsuit that Gruber is quick to point out was dropped.

"With everything you have in your life you have positives and negatives that help you grow," he said.

Gruber also served as the police chief in Quincy and Shreveport, La. His time in Shreveport elicited national attention as the Yankee was the first non-native chief.

Gruber said when he arrived in 1986, he encountered a Shreveport officer by the name of Capt. T.L. "Bubba" Hardin. Bubba didn't mesh too well with Gruber's ideas, and he took a swing at Gruber, forcing the chief to introduce his new officer to the ground. After Bubba scraped himself off the pavement, he was fired, and Gruber had quickly put his stamp on his new workplace.

Gruber said he still keeps in shape, but isn't sure if he could drop Bubba again.

"He's probably older, too," Gruber joked of Hardin.

Hoffman Estates Police Chief Clinton Herdegen has worked with Gruber over the years and said his colleague is widely respected and outspoken. Gruber served as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

"He's very up front, he's certainly he's not shy about sharing his opinion," Herdegen said. "But his opinions are always backed by sound knowledge, experience and are well formulated."

Gruber said other towns have inquired about having him as police chief, but that's unlikely as he's committed to spending more time with his family.

"I try to raise up everyone around me, make everyone as good as they possible can be," he said. "In the end it's a great deal."