Crystal Lake cop involved in police shooting is McHenry County Officer of the Year

CRYSTAL LAKE – In a time when the use of police force is under high levels of scrutiny nationwide, the actions of a Crystal Lake officer in a recent police shooting have garnered countywide recognition.

Crystal Lake Officer Krzysztof Krol was honored as Officer of the Year by the McHenry County Chiefs of Police Association after he was involved in a June 2015 case in which he shot a suspect during a domestic disturbance call.

"Officer Krol's ability to stop the threat and then render first aid to the suspect was a testament to his abilities and professionalism," a news release from the association said.

In this case, Crystal Lake Deputy Chief Derek Hyrkas said an independent investigation by the Illinois State Police and a review by the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office concluded Krol was the victim of an attempted murder and his use of force was justified.

This shooting was a case where the officer or another person's life was threatened, said John Lieb, president of the local association and deputy police chief for the Woodstock Police Department.

Lieb recused himself from voting on the recognition because a Woodstock police officer also was up for the award.

"Every day, when police officers show up for their shift, they don't know what they're going to be facing. ... The potential exists where a situation can become one of life or death, where either they're threatened or an innocent life is threatened," Lieb said, later adding, "That's what happened with Officer Krol, and based on the call, he felt obligated to stop the threat."

Before the shooting, officers responded June 21 to the 300 block of West Terra Cotta Avenue in response to reports that a white male had beaten a woman and made threats with a knife, according to police.

Hours later, Krol went to another home in response to reports of an "unwanted subject."

After hearing cries of distress, he decided not to wait for backup, as one would normally do in this type of situation, Hyrkas said.

Police accounts indicate that Joseph A. Laudicina, 30, of Addison, charged Krol with a knife before being shot, not fatally.

Later, Laudicina was charged with a number of offenses, including attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated domestic battery and residential burglary, among others.

The defense attorney in the case said the knife was a butter knife and Laudicina did not flee from police.

Laudicina currently is in McHenry County Jail awaiting his Friday court date.

Gregory D. Lee, who served as a supervisory special agent for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and who testifies on police procedure, said he could not draw absolute conclusions not knowing the intricacies of the case. However, he did say a suspect with a knife can be just as dangerous as one with a gun.

"You pull a knife on a police officer, there's a pretty good chance you're going to get shot," said Lee, who lives in Pebble Beach, California.

Given the pending status of the criminal case, Hyrkas said Krol was not available for an interview.

The two other nominees for this year's award were Harvard Police Detective Verle Leard and Woodstock Officer Jeremy Mortimer.