Joliet: Nick Crowley Returning To Work

JOLIET, IL - Police Chief Brian Benton's decision to keep Officer Nick Crowley on indefinite paid leave has already cost his city's taxpayers more than $70,000, but those days are over. On April 3, Joliet's new City Manager David Hales was asked to find a better solution. On Tuesday night, Hales informed the Joliet City Council that Crowley, who has been on paid leave since July 17, 2017, will be returning to work. It just won't be inside the Joliet Police Station.

"I do appreciate the time spent, by not only Corporate Counsel (Marty Shanahan) as well as the police chief, our HR director and others," Hales said. "We did spend some time looking at not only our past practices, also reaching out and finding out some of the changes going on with other communities as they look at issues such as paid leave, unpaid leave, things of that nature.

"Based on our research and our analysis and discussion, what I have done is directed the police chief to notify that particular police officer, to direct that particular individual, to come back. We will be putting that individual on light duty going forward. It will be in a non-police department capacity, exact duties are being developed ... we will have that individual coming back."

From now on, Hales announced, if the police department or other city departments encounter a similar situation, "the first option" will be to considering putting them on light duty.

"It could be in the same capacity, it could be in a different capacity, even thought that will kind of be the default position, we gotta keep in mind that each case is different ... we're going to be much more aggressive in looking for opportunities for those that have to be out of their particular job position."

Mayor Bob O'Dekirk was pleased with the news.

"I know it's a little change in traditionally how things have been done. Thank you for taking another look at it," the mayor told Hales.

Crowley is expected to show up for work later this week or Monday at the latest. He goes on trial starting May 14 on his two remaining counts of reckless discharge of a firearm. A grand jury chose not to indict him last September on the original counts of domestic battery and criminal damage to property. His criminal defense attorney, Jeff Tomczak, has predicted that Crowley will be vindicated once a Will County jury gets a chance to hear the defense's case.

RELATED: Crowley Case Draws City Hall Scrutiny: Ferak

Mugshot via Will County Sheriff's Department