Crime & Safety

Police Chief Larry Herzog to Retire

Chief's retirement from the Grayslake Police Department will be effective July 1.

Grayslake Police Chief Larry Herzog announced his plans to retire from the department this summer.

“It is with very mixed emotions that I plan to retire after my 13th anniversary as Police Chief this July 1st," Herzog wrote in a letter to Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor. "I will miss serving with the staff of the Grayslake Police Department and the Village’s other departments but look forward to spending more time with my three children and eight grandchildren."

The announcement was made Friday, March 11.

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Herzog was appointed chief in Grayslake on July 1, 1998, after a 26-year career with the Park Ridge Police Department.

Taylor praised Herzog’s service to this community.

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“Grayslake has benefited greatly from Chief Herzog’s service to the community," Taylor said. "Not only is our police department well recognized in the law enforcement community but the citizens and businesses of Grayslake think highly of the department. Our organization will miss Larry’s experience and insights. We all wish him well in his retirement."

Grayslake Village Manager Mike Ellis said in a statement that, “It has been both a personal and professional pleasure to work with Chief Herzog over the last 13 years. He has been an outstanding member of our team and is responsible for making our police department one of the best and most innovative in our area. He is irreplaceable and I know the entire staff will miss his advice, ideas and his great sense of humor."

During Herzog’s tenure, the Grayslake Police Department has progressed in a number of ways, as noted in a release from the village. In 2001, the department became one of the small percentage of police departments to be accredited by the Commissions on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. It has been re-accredited three times since then.

Improved technologies, continual training, and a team approach to solve budget and personnel issues have been instituted. A new police station was constructed and opened in 2008. The department’s community policing programs and investigative capacities were greatly expanded including the high school resource officers, crime prevention programs, and inter-agency agreements. In 2010, the department began providing police services within the Village of Hainesville under a contract between Hainesville and Grayslake.

“I am most proud of the many ways that the men and women of the Grayslake Police Department have become highly committed to the residents, businesses, and students in Grayslake, and how they have become part of the community,” said Herzog.


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