Blue Island police chief departs
King says he’s leaving during tense exchange with city council members
LaSalle King, who last yearwas named the first African American police chief in Blue Island’s 146year history, publicly announced his departure during a heated city council exchange.
The back-and-forth featured accusations of racism and a council member challenging another to a street fight.
The stormy confrontation was captured on video and published Wednesday on the Blue Island Television You Tube channel.
The clash beganTuesday night whenWard 6 Ald. Candace Carr askedMayor DomingoVargas if King had a full-time job with another law-enforcement agency.
“As of right nowit’s in discussion,” Vargas replied. “He is on his way out.”
King beganworking as an officer with the Illinois State Police on March 1, a state police spokeswoman said Friday. King said he has been using vacation time he accumulated with Blue Island but has continued to supervise city police operations.
Vargas invited King to address the council, and the chief began his remarks by stating hewould retireApril 8 after 21 years with the Blue Island Police Department.
King, 52, then criticized Carr, who chairs the council’s public health and safety committee.
“It has been a pleasure serving this community,” King said. “But fromthe moment I took office, I have to say it’s been difficult. Alderman Carr has been a thorn in my side. She has mademy job so difficult and criticized everything that I have tried to do.
“She failed to giveme the respect that I deserve, the same respect she gave to the prior administration,” King said.
Vargas appointed King police chief in January 2018, aweek afterVargas told council members he had eliminated the city’s director of public health and safety position. JohnD. Rita Jr. had been serving in that role since 2013, overseeing the police and fire departments in the city of 23,361 residents.
King told Carr that conflicts with herwere the reason hewas leaving his job with the city.
“You criticized the people I brought up, you criticizedme trying to better the department, all for political reasons, and that wasn’t right, and thatwasn’t fair,” King said. “I don’t know what itwas for. Was it because I’m AfricanAmerican?”
Carr said Friday that when King announced his choice for deputy chief last year, she asked about the person’s qualifications but voted to approve the appointment.
King said he sent confidential information in an email to aldermen and accused Carr of sharing that information with a citizen for political gain.
“You used that information to get back at themayor,” King said.
Carr denied ever sharing confidential information with residents.
“I don’t knowwhat you’re referring to,” she told King.
On Friday, Carr said King had sent aldermen the police department’s annual report that showed a significant increase in property crimes such as burglaries and thefts fromvehicles.
King publicly called Carr a liar at the council meeting.
“You have sat in council meetings and you have blatantly lied and I didn’t say anything about it,” King told Carr. “You have spread a rumor thatwe didn’twant to patrol. Itwas a lie.”
King then said Carr had asked him about crime statistics in the city.
“Wewanted to approve a budget and youwanted to knowabout stats, why crimewent up,” King said.
“That’s a legitimate question,” Carr replied.
“We told you,” King said. “We gave you a legitimate answer, but you didn’twant to hear that.”
King did not immediately respond Friday to a message requesting additional comment.
Ward 2Ald. Fred Bilotto seemed to defuse the situation at the council meeting by congratulating King on his retirement and asking for more details about his use of vacation time. Bilotto asked King when he made the decision to retire.
King said hewas unsure about leaving the department, but that Carr “pushedmeover the edge.”
“I figured I’d be better off wherever I go to than to sit here and deal with your political shenanigans,” King said. “If it had been any better I probablywould have stayed. But it’s just not worth it. But to deal with someone— the chair of the committee of health and public safety—(who) is againstme, that’s hard to do.”
Bilotto asked about the process for choosing a new chief, and King said hewas working withVargas and Deputy Police Chief Bernadine Rzab on selecting a successor. Ward 7Ald. Nancy Thompson then praised King.
“Sorry to lose you, chief,” Thompson said. “I’m sorry you have to go out thisway.”
King said he enjoyed serving the community for 21 years.
“I’m always going to be here for this community becausemy heart is here no matter what an alderman says about it, that the police don’t care about this community,” King said. “I had to sit here and listen to that stuff and bitemy tongue. There’s no reason formeto bitemy tongue nowAlderman Carr. Youwere wrong fromthe beginning and you’rewrong now.”
Ward 1 Ald. Dexter Johnson applauded King for leading Drug AbuseResistance Education (D.A.R.E.) programs in local public elementary schools.
“I witnessed thatmyself personally,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen him interact with children of all colors and ages.”
Thompson then made remarks that prompted an audible response from audience members in attendance.
“It will be hard to replace you andmy heart is broken,” Thompson said. “But I knowwhen you’re dealing with a racist person, you have to give it to them.”
Thompson directed her next remark at Carr.
“That’s what you are, racist,” Thompson said. “If you care to fight about itwe can go out in the alley.”
Vargas used his gavel to restore order and the councilmoved on to other business.
Carr said Friday she has not viewed the video of the meeting and did not hear Thompson’s challenge for a physical altercation when she said it.
“People who knowme knowthat I amnot a racist,” Carr added Friday.
Thompson andVargas did not respond Friday to messages requesting additional comment about the exchange.
Ward 4Ald. Bill Fahrenwald, aVargas ally, said Friday that King and Carr have had conflicts over city business.
“It’s been pretty contentious,” Fahrenwald said. “There’s a lot of friction there. Iwish it had been handled differently.”