Western Springs Police Down Officers

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – The Western Springs Police Department is down officers.

The situation worsened when Officer Bill Romanow submitted his resignation letter Tuesday. His departure is effective Sunday.

Patch obtained the letter through a public records request.

Romanow, who has served the department for more than five years, is becoming an Oak Brook police officer.

"You have provided me with knowledge and experience that will carry me throughout the duration of my career," Romanow said in the letter.

The Western Springs police have 21 authorized sworn officer positions, five of which are considered vacant as of next week, according to the village. The vacancy number doesn't include the police chief's position, which is set to be filled in early March.

"The Village is actively recruiting to fill those positions," spokeswoman Selmin Cicek said in an email to Patch on Friday. "In the meantime, all shifts are being staffed by the current force."

In the last year, the department has seen management changes.

Last spring, Deputy Police Chief Daniel Albrecht left under a cloud. Former Police Chief Brian Budds resigned in early November to become the police chief in Buffalo Grove.

After Budds left, Terry Mee, who has served in a number of suburban departments, was hired as interim chief. He left after three weeks, though it was unclear why.

After Albrecht's sudden exit, detective Ashlee Niezgoda was appointed deputy chief. She has been in charge of the department since Mee's departure, though she was not given the interim chief title.

Western Springs police make fewer arrests and respond to fewer crimes than nearby towns, if its weekly blotters are an indication.