Joliet police board chairman un-resigns

Herb Lande, chairman of the city’s Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, returned to the job Thursday after resigning earlier this week.

Lande chaired a meeting where his name was left off the agenda because of his resignation.

"A small explanation as to why Mr. Lande is present," Lande said after answering roll call.

Lande said he got a call from Mayor Bob O’Dekirk who asked him to rescind his resignation because the board was down to three members and would not be able to meet if just one commissioner did not show up.

The board has five members when full, and another commissioner is thinking about leaving.

"I'm here until the mayor can get more people on board," Lande said.

Lande before the meeting repeated comments made to The Herald-News earlier this week that he had resigned to devote more attention to his construction business.

But Lande also had made clear that he objected to an email by fellow Commissioner Todd Wooten that said the board had lost confidence in Police Chief Al Roechner. Lande stressed that Wooten did not speak for the board as was suggested in the email.

Wooten on July 7 sent the email that went to numerous city and police officials as well as media on the board's mailing list for meeting notices.

He also criticized Roechner’s handling of Sgt. Javier Esqueda, who was put on desk duty for leaking to the media a portion of a police video depicting the January arrest of Eric Lurry who died from what officials have said was the ingestion of drugs he was concealing.

Wooten at the Thursday meeting did not call for the no-confidence vote or seek answers about the city's whistleblower policies as he said he would do in the email.

After the meeting, Wooten said he intended to pursue both matters on his own.

"I speak for myself," he said.

Wooten also said he heard from the mayor, and there was concern what effect his public comments could have on matters coming to the fire and police board, which hears disciplinary matters.

"They don't want any chance of us prejudicing any future case," Wooten said.

Wooten said he planned to discuss the matters with the next interim city manager hired by Joliet. He repeated his concern that the assignment of Esqueda to desk duty could have an impact on potential whistleblowers in the police department.

"It's not just a matter of going after Javier Esqueda," he said. "It's going after whoever may come forward."

Commissioner Craig Purchase also told The Herald-News that he has considered leaving the board but does not want to leave it with too few members.