Elmhurst Police Chief Dies: City

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth died Monday at a hospital while recovering from a medical procedure, the city announced.

He has been the city's police chief for the last decade.

"I am forever grateful to have worked alongside him," City Manager Jim Grabowski said in a statement. "He was an asset to our organization, and his loss will not be easy to overcome."

According to a news release, Ruth carried out new crime prevention strategies and achieved Tier 1 state accreditation for the city department.

Ruth was an adjunct criminal justice professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago and a past president of the West Suburban Chiefs of Police Association.

"Above all, Chief Ruth believed in the nobility of the Elmhurst Police Department’s work and the professionalism of its members." Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin said in a city news release. "Our City has suffered a tremendous loss. However, I am comforted in knowing that Chief was a mentor to many, and that his commitment to the highest level of public safety standards for our community will live on."

Ruth served 44 years in law enforcement. He started as a dispatcher in Alsip and then was an officer in Hometown.

He joined the Skokie Police Department in 1981, where he served in many roles, rising to the rank of commander in 2010.

Ruth was the police chief in Countryside from 2010 to 2012.

Private arrangements will be made to honor Ruth in line with his wishes.

Deputy Chief Michael McLean, who has been serving as acting police chief in Ruth's absence, will continue serving in the interim, the city said.