Riverside solidified its police command staffing on May 19, promoting two longtime officers who will supervise the department’s day-to-day operations and allow Police Chief Thomas Weitzel to concentrate on strategic administration.

Lt. John Krull, a 21-year member of the Riverside Police Department, was promoted to deputy chief, a position that has been vacant since Weitzel assumed practical leadership for the department in September 2007. Weitzel was acting chief for several months prior to the official retirement of Eugene Karczewski in January 2008.

“I personally look forward to working more directly with John Krull,” Weitzel told village trustees during a swearing-in ceremony that was part of the May 19 village board meeting.

Krull, a Riverside native who graduated from Riverside-Brookfield High School, was hired as a patrol officer in 1987. He was promoted to sergeant in 1997 and was assigned as the department’s detective in 2003 before his promotion to lieutenant in 2006.

Krull earlier this year graduated from the FBI’s National Academy and holds a master’s degree from National-Louis University.

At the same time, Weitzel promoted Sgt. William Legg to operations lieutenant in charge of overseeing everything from police patrol to investigations.

Legg was sworn in as a police officer in Riverside in July 1985, but worked in the village longer than that. He served a college internship in the department and for a time worked as a police dispatcher before becoming a sworn officer.

“I did my internship here when I didn’t know I was going to become an officer,” Legg said. “But Riverside took, and it made my career choice.”

Legg, who was honored as Riverside’s Officer of the Year in 2006, is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Staff and Command and has a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2003 and assigned as the department’s detective in 2006 upon Krull’s promotion to lieutenant.

Riverside F.D. bids farewell to retirees

Also on May 19, the Riverside Fire Department announced the retirement of two longtime firefighters, Capt. Charles Zelinski and Firefighter Robert Aldape.

“Together we lose about a half century of experience,” said Fire Chief Kevin Mulligan. “We’re going to miss them.”

Zelinski, a 31-year veteran of the force, joined the Riverside Fire Department in 1976 and was promoted to captain in 1997. He was commander of Fire Station No. 2 for many years and served in a variety of training capacities, from the department’s safety officer to training drivers

Aldape retires after 18 years as a paid-on-call firefighter/emergency medical technician.