Mount Prospect's top cop to retire at the end of the year

Mount Prospect police Chief John Koziol will retire Dec. 31, Village Manager Michael Cassady said Friday.

He will be replaced by Michael Eterno, who was sworn in as deputy chief in 2014.

Koziol was chief in Palatine from 2002 to 2014, after starting there as a patrol officer in 1985 and climbing through the ranks to sergeant, commander and deputy chief of field operations.

Koziol has been Mount Prospect's chief since the beginning of 2018, replacing Timothy Janowick, who retired in 2017. Eterno was interim chief after Janowick's departure.

Cassady said detective Commander Joe Garris will be deputy chief of operations.

Koziol's tenure included the opening last year of Mount Prospect's new police headquarters.

"John has had a very productive four years with our department and he has been an exceptional chief and adviser for me. I'm going to miss him big time," Cassady said.

Koziol was in the middle of controversy involving the police patch, a black-and-white American flag with a single blue stripe that some say should be dumped because the symbol has been co-opted by extremists. Koziol supported the police wearing the patch, defending its use as a symbol that honored fallen officers.

The village has removed the patch from police uniforms but it will remain on police headquarters and vehicles. Cassady said the controversy did not enter into Koziol's decision.

Regarding Eterno's elevation, Cassady said: "Working on succession plans is something that I have done with Chief Koziol. So we were prepared for his announcement. We feel we have got a very effective and well thought out succession plan that we will be implementing at the end of this year."

Cassady said Koziol sent him an email saying "he has had a great experience here. He appreciated serving. He was extremely complimentary about the department and its officers and its civilian team members."