Joliet's Deputy Chief Gets Huge Retirement Severance

JOLIET, IL - For the third time this year, a deputy police chief at the Joliet Police Department has called it quits and for the third time this year, the city of Joliet has made a retirement severance topping more than $100,000 to a departing deputy chief of police. This week, the Joliet Patch learned that deputy police chief of operations Edgar Gregory received a payout totaling $118,182 for cashing out his unused compensatory time, his excess of unused vacation time and his accrued sick banks.

The payout for Gregory, who retired from the city on Sept. 28, is as follows:

• $52,912 for unused vacation days
• $34,898 for unused sick days
• $30,371 for comp time.

In the case of his comp time banks, Gregory was able to cash out comp time at his deputy chief's salary rather than the salary in which he stockpiled his comp time, which was many years earlier when Gregory was making significantly less. In October 2014, former city manager Jim Hock promoted Gregory to deputy chief of operations. Gregory had been a watch commander and had served as a sergeant. At the time of his recent departure, Gregory had about 28 years with the Joliet Police force.

Gregory's payout of more than $118,000 was nearly double the payout that went to veteran Joliet Police officer Edward "Ed" Johnson, who retired in late August after 27 years of service with Joliet.

In Johnson's case, he was not the recipient of any payout for compensatory time, the city payroll records indicate. Johnson received a payout of $19,479 for his unused sick leave and a payout of $41,285 for his unused vacation time. His total retirement severance was about $60,765, Joliet Patch determined.

Patch obtained these latest retirement payouts at the Joliet Police Department from the city of Joliet through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The six-figure severance payout to Gregory from the city taxpayers is in addition to Gregory's upcoming police retirement pension that he will be getting.

To read Patch's previous articles highlighting the six-figure payouts for deputy police of administration Tab Jensen and deputy chief of technical services Brian Dupuis, click on the story links below:

Eye-Popping Payout For Tab Jensen, Departing Deputy Chief

$116,000 Buyout For Brian Dupuis

Main image of Edgar Gregory via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor