Dawn Malec Fired As Joliet Police Chief, Replaced By Robert Brown

JOLIET, IL — Dawn Malec didn't last a year as Joliet police chief. City manager Jim Capparelli went to the Joliet City Council Tuesday night in closed session and informed them he was getting rid of her for insubordination.

"It's not a huge surprise," a source said. "She was canned. She was fired."

Malec, a member of the Joliet police force since 1994, was promoted from a traffic patrol lieutenant in mid-January to become the city's first female chief. However, sources told Joliet Patch she struggled in the position and "was in way over her head."

By 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, Capparelli had issued a second news release, this one announcing that he had selected current Deputy Police Chief Robert Brown to serve as acting police chief for the Joliet Police Department until a permanent police chief has been selected.

Joliet Patch left Malec a voicemail seeking reaction to her firing, but she did not call back.

Shortly before the announcement of Brown's promotion, Joliet Patch called Mayor Bob O'Dekirk seeking his reaction to Malec's ouster.

"I can confirm, but not really offer much else. It is a personnel decision of the city manager," the mayor responded to Patch. "He explained to the council in executive session last night. I won't get into details or offer an opinion."

Todd Wooten, who left the Joliet police and board this summer, told Joliet Patch's editor on Wednesday that he was not surprised by Malec's firing. According to Wooten, Capparelli "never wanted her. Capparelli routinely undermined and disrespected Chief Malec's authority, just like he undermined the fire and police board's authority."

He continued: "In May of this year, he publicly told the board to disregard Chief Malec's letter of recommendation to promote Officer Rich Olson to sergeant and to accept a new letter of recommendation, with Malec's signature, that the board hadn't seen and had seemingly whitewashed all of Olson's offenses."

Olson is a longtime Joliet patrol officer who received a 24-day suspension for fleeing the scene of a November 2018 crash after realizing the car he was chasing in an off-duty capacity just crashed into a tree at Center and Bridge Streets.

Instead, Olson drove away in his squad car and did not notify anybody at the police or fire departments as to the serious crash that just occurred on the city's near west side.

This July, an arbitrator overruled the Joliet police and board's decision and determined Olson should become a Joliet police sergeant after all, just as Capparelli had urged the board.

"Privately, Capparelli had nothing but disdain for Chief Malec," Wooten told Joliet Patch. "In the two private conversations I had with Capparelli, he referred to Malec as dumb, an unmotivated lump, in over her head, and as always having an expressionless look on her face.

"He also stated, the only reason she got the job was because Herb Lande was on some kind of liberal tangent," he said.

Patch interviewed Capparelli at City Hall on Wednesday, seeking his reaction to Wooten's comments.

"It's unfortunate that a former police and fire board member would drag the good name of Chief Malec through the mud and the good name of the president of the police and fire board, Herb Lande."

Lande was the acting Joliet City Council member who was appointed last December to replace Don "Duck" Dickinson after Dickinson resigned abruptly from elected office. Lande previously served on the Joliet police and fire board as its chairman.

Lande is back on the police and fire board as the chairman, filling Wooten's recent vacancy.

Wooten told Joliet Patch on Wednesday, "I immediately told members of (Malec's) administration that the new city manager had zero respect for Chief Malec and would eventually begin to undermine her, just like he and the FOP undermined the fire and police board."

Malec replaced Al Roechner, who agreed to retire and accept a $31,000 raise to increase his police pension in exchange for submitting his immediate retirement in January. Last month, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that his agency is conducting an investigation into allegations of unlawful police practicing within the Joliet Police Department during the past decade.

The AG's investigation will focus on the tenure of Roechner and his predecessor, Brian Benton, who retired in November 2018.

Related Patch coverage: No More Joliet Police Chiefs From Inside The Ranks: Capparelli

According to the Joliet Police Department website, Malec has been with the department since 1994. She spent most of her career in patrol operations. She was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 2009, lieutenant in 2014 and chief in 2021.

The city of Joliet issued a news release Wednesday about Malec's firing:

Joliet Police Chief's Employment has Ended

Joliet City Manager Jim Capparelli announces Police Chief Dawn Malec’s employment with the Joliet Police Department has ended effective immediately. The City of Joliet thanks former Chief Malec for her years of dedicated service to the Joliet community and wishes her will well in her future endeavors. The City Manager will name an Acting Police Chief shortly. The Joliet Police Department is committed to providing the highest quality of police service to our community.