Sauk Village Police Chief Ordered To Leave, Locked Out Of Station

January 24, 2012 1:55 PM

A police gun and handcuffs. [Generic] (credit: Steve Hardy/CBS Local)

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SAUK VILLAGE, Ill. (CBS) — The mayor and police chief in Sauk Village were in court Tuesday, trying to get a judge to overturn a law passed by the village board that led to the police chief getting locked out of the station a day earlier.

As WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports, it all started when two Sauk Village trustees showed up at the police station on Monday, and told Chief Robert Fox he was no longer in charge and had to go.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Mike Krauser reports

A heated exchange followed, the SouthtownStar reports. The trustees – Derrick Burgess and David Hanks – ordered Fox to leave. Fox said on the mayor had the authority to issue such an order.

Burgess pressed the matter, saying, “You’re not God.”

The trustees asked police officers to remove Fox, but they did not respond.

Fox, according to the paper, went to lunch. When he returned, the locks had been changed.

It is all the result of a power struggle between Mayor Lewis Towers and the village board. Towers appointed Fox without board approval, and the board responded by passing a law placing a limit on the mayor’s appointment powers.

The board never approved a salary or contract for Fox, either, and after a $4,600 check was issued to Fox last month at the mayor’s request, the board put Treasurer Genorise Carmichael and village manager Henrietta Turner on paid administrative leave for a week for paying him.

Now, Mayor Towers is in court trying to rescind the law. It was not immediately learned if any ruling was issued in court.

Fox said he still planned to show up for work Tuesday as usual.

The SouthtownStar contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

Sauk Village Police Chief Ordered To Leave, Locked Out Of Station

Afro

Wow I thought our local officials acted like a bunch of babies, everyone of these people should be recalled immediately and replaced.

Jim

The only one that needs to be recalled is Towers. He is mayor not king.

sauk resident

I agree I was at the meeting last night. hanks nor Burgress apologized to Chief Fox or the community for that mess we saw on national TV. The Trustees need to end their struggle with the mayor and now. I’m tried of the waste of my tax dollars on people doing their personal things. They need to grow up and stop having tamper tantrums

Martin

Sounds like both sides need to be Jailed and replaced. I feel sorry for the Treasurer, Manager, and cops (not necessarily the Chief) pulled into this by simply doing their jobs when their elected officials start acting like 2yo’s.

Jim

The big 2 year old called Towers cant get along with the board and instead of working with them sidestepped them in hopes of getting his way. He needs to be recalled.

Linda Elsey

Wow, I didn’t know trustees had so much “power”, I always thought it was the Mayor who made appointments.

Jim

Because the trustees have a mandate of sorts. Last year they all went up against Towers hand picked cronies. The cronies lost by a 4 to 1 gap.

juju

Backwards suburb run by backwards people. Please give this suburb to Indiana. what a bunch of dumb sh its

Marty

And in what suburb do you live in, oh intelligent one?

S uck Village Idiots

Blah Blah Blah Blah.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/01/25/sauk-village-police-chief-back-on-the-job-after-lockout/ Sauk Village Police Chief Back On The Job After Lockout « CBS Chicago

[...] On Monday, two Sauk Village trustees showed up at the police station and told Chief Robert Fox he was no longer… [...]
Jim

Towers is a power hungry idiot. He fired all the code enforcement last year and tried to hire a friend as a consultant for $400. He is the worst mayor we have ever had and needs to be removed. If he isnt he will be a one term mayor because few people in the village like or want him.
Jim

thats $400k not $400.
sauk village resident

It’s a shame that sauk village had to be shown in such negative lights because of these two nuts. Thanks to the national media, we witnessed how some people let being elected and having some power go to their heads. They couls have waited until the next day, when the judge was going to rule on the ordinance. I was at the meeting last night and neither apologized for having the whole community looking like goones or to Chief Fox. People of sauk village need to wake up and stop these two and the other Trustees in the quest to stop Mayor Towers from governing the town. Hanks and Burgress need a lesson in government 101 and how long have they been Trustees Hanks 12yrs and Burgress 6yrs. Everyone knows that government has at least two branches. Stop the power struggles now. To Jim you so much dismay you need to educate yourself. If sauk village had got the lawyers the Mayor recommended we could have saved some money because they was going to contract for term, not get paid for every little assignment. Like the firm we have now has already made have of that in three months. The trustees got there way but who is paying the bills. If you don’t know the sauk villlage taxpayers. See you at the meeting.