Western Springs Clears Up Confusion On Chief

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Last week, the village of Western Springs said Deputy Chief Ashlee Niezgoda would be the new interim chief.

That didn't happen.

On Wednesday, the village cleared up confusion about Niezgoda's role. This follows the departure of interim Chief Terry Mee, who served three weeks before giving a few days' notice.

"Since we last spoke it has been clarified that (Deputy Chief) Niezgoda is not officially being named as Chief, but rather she is temporarily taking on the responsibilities of the role of Chief, while maintaining her position as Deputy Chief," village spokeswoman Selmin Cicek said in an email to Patch. "Once a new Director of Law Enforcement Services is hired early in 2023, they will be formally sworn in as Chief at that time."

In a statement to Patch eight days ago, the village said Niezgoda would be the new interim chief as of Dec. 1, a position officially known as director of law enforcement services.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, no one noted the changes in the police department's command.

Patch contacted Cicek on Wednesday morning, asking why the village treated the appointments of Mee and Niezgoda differently.

When Mee was sworn in, the village posted photos to its Facebook pages. It even published pictures of an officer being promoted to sergeant last week. It did not do so for Niezgoda.

That's what prompted Cicek's email explaining that Niezgoda had not been appointed as interim chief.

In October, Chief Brian Budds gave the village three weeks' notice of his resignation. He became the chief of the Buffalo Grove Police Department. That agency has been investigating a case in which a man is believed to have killed four family members before taking his own life.

Niezgoda's predecessor, Deputy Chief Daniel Albrecht, left under a cloud in the spring. And the rank-and-file officers' union has gone without a contract for more than six months.