The retirement of Deputy Chief John Krull at the beginning of January set in motion a series of promotions inside the Riverside Police Department. And on Jan. 24, Village Clerk Cathy Haley administered the oath of office to three members of the department moving up in the ranks.
It’s the first time since 2008 that there has been so much movement within the ranks. That was the year Thomas Weitzel, who had been assistant chief of police, was named police chief. That set in motion a raft of changes to the command and operational structure of the department.
Promoted to fill the role of deputy chief is Lt. William Legg, whose connection to the department spans 30 years. A graduate of Western Illinois University, Legg served during his college years as an intern with the department, starting in 1982.
In 1984, Legg was hired as a dispatcher before being sworn in as a patrolman in 1985. He earned the rank of sergeant in 1992 and became the department’s detective in 2006. Two years later he was promoted to lieutenant.
“One place Bill shines is he’s very good at the human relations part of policing,” said Police Chief Thomas Weitzel.
Moving up to the rank of lieutenant is David Krull, who for the past four years has been the department’s detective. He was named detective in 2008 after his promotion to sergeant the prior year.
Krull, the brother of the former deputy chief, is a Riverside native and joined the department as a patrolman in 1997. For seven years prior to that, Krull was a police officer in Burr Ridge.
As a lieutenant, Krull will shift from overseeing criminal investigations to a more administrative role regarding operations and department policies.
Moving into the role of sergeant is Leo Kotor, a 14-year veteran of the department. Kotor began his career as the Riverside Police Department’s first community service officer in 1996. He served in that role for two years before being sworn in as a patrolman.
Kotor will supervise the midnight shift, according to Weitzel. He is also a team leader for NIPAS, a suburban rapid response team that handles such missions as high-risk search warrants and SWAT operations.
“Leo is very aggressive and is extremely tech-savvy and tactical,” said Weitzel.
According to Weitzel, both Kotor and Krull were promoted to their positions after a rigorous written and practical testing process handled by two separate outside firms. They were also interviewed individually by the Riverside Police and Fire Commission.
“Those individuals are extremely deserving,” said Weitzel.
With Krull moving out of investigations, Weitzel has named Sgt. Frank Lara as the department’s new detective.
Weitzel also announced a minor change in operations last week. Legg will work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., while Krull will work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, ensuring that a member of the command staff is present between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. every weekday.
In April, Riverside will gain an additional patrol officer on the street when a candidate presently at the state police academy graduates. That officer will then undergo three months of field training before working solo on a shift.
Weitzel said he is also requesting that he be able to hire an additional candidate to send to the police academy in April. That candidate would replace the spot vacated by the departure of John Krull, who is now police chief in the village of Olympia Fields.
