Jose Alvarez, appointed Caseyville’s chief of police in September, was dismissed this morning by Mayor Len Black.
Caseyville Mayor Len Black / Photo by Roger Starkey
The move is effective immediately, but Alvarez will continue to receive pay for the next 30 days, in accordance with his contract. Alvarez could not be reached for comment.
Sergeant Frank Moore has been appointed the interim chief. Moore served in the same position between J.D. Roth’s departure from the department in early 2013 and the start of Alvarez’s tenure.
Black said he wanted a chief with more administrative experience than Alvarez, who came to Caseyville with 35 years of experience, the most recent as deputy chief of investigations with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“Joey is a good investigator, a good crime-fighter, a good person, he is honest, there is nothing dishonest going on here,” Black said. “I just wanted the department to move in a different direction.”
Black wants a chief who will allow the department’s two sergeants to take more control of the daily crime fighting, while handling the administrative duties and being more accessible to the public.
“I don’t want Joey out there at 4 a.m. because we have a drug bust, that is more of the job of the sergeants,” Black said. “Then he is tired the next day and he comes in to the office at 11 (a.m.) or 1 o’clock.”
There had been rumors of a no-confidence vote to be taken against Alvarez, Black said, but that did not factor into his decision. The final straw came when Alvarez requested an assistant chief of police.
“We’re a department of only 10, I didn’t think it was right to pay someone $60,000 to be a part-time chief,” Black said. “I think someone with more administrative experience could run it by himself, maybe with one part-time person.”
Black said he has to take part of the blame for hiring someone that did meet his requirements.
“I know a lot more about the police department than I did when I took over,” Black said. “I don’t want to run the police department, that’s why I wanted to hire a professional.”
Black was elected mayor in April 2013, replacing George Chance, who had served as Caseyville’s mayor for the previous 27 years.
The new chief will most likely not come from within a department that Black called “fractured.” Moore, Black said, understands that his second appointment as interim chief in a year is temporary.
Although there are people within the department that are qualified to be chief, a person from outside will be better able to make the changes needed, Black said. Along with administrative experience, Black will also look for strong leadership skills.
“We have a bunch of young policemen that are good policemen,” Black said. “They are looking for someone that is strong and is going to be more aggressive.”
Black said his decision was probably not good for short-term morale in the department, but he wants to build a department that the citizens can be proud of.
“I really hope I made the right decision for the village,” Black said.
