In a letter dated March 18, and viewed by The Metro Independent, St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly issued notification to all elected and appointed officials of Caseyville that all communications between his office and Village officials would be in writing, if at all, until governance is restored.
A leaked, confidential, memo from Caseyville Village Attorney John Gilbert to Mayor Len Black and the Caseyville Village Board was mailed to every address in Caseyville Saturday. Gilbert represented, in the letter, what he said were statements made to him by Kelly. The cover letter that accompanied the anonymous mailing indicated Caseyville Police Chief Alvarez had lost credibility with Kelly.
Kelly’s written statement does not indicate that it was in response to any one incident, including Gilbert’s letter or the cover letter with it.
When contacted Monday, Kelly said he did not publicly comment on confidential memos. Kelly’s letter makes it clear that he does not wish others to comment for him.
“In light of recent events, further communications by my office with the elected and appointed officials of the Village of Caseyville regarding law enforcement issues will be in writing, or not at all, and most likely the latter until such time as some minimal level of governance is restored,” Kelly’s letter indicated.
Kelly was also brought into the duel saga of the attempted firings of Caseyville Police Officer Steve Romanik and Police Chief Jose Alvarez. Gilbert’s letter indicated that Alvarez told Gilbert and the Board of Police Commissioners that evidence in support of firing Romanik, was in Kelly’s office. Neither Alvarez nor Commissioner John Buckley are certain if that exact statement was made. The Metro Independent has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain video of that meeting.
Because Romanik is a probationary officer, evidence does not need to be supplied to fire him. In an interesting irony, Romanik’s father, Bob, appealed his dismal from the East St. Louis Police Department when he was a probationary officer. In the 1975 Illinois Supreme Court case Romanik v. the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of East St. Louis, it was ruled that boards can adopt a rule providing for summary discharge of probationary police officers.
Letters, memos and details of confidential meetings have been repeatedly leaked in recent weeks.
The three-paragraph document indicates that the new method of communication will have no bearing on applications for criminal charges by Caseyville police offices, on duty for the village or on a task force. Nor will the protocol affect the prosecution of cases involving Caseyville or its residents.
