LITH Police Chief Retires; New Top Cop Picked

Press release from the Village of Lake in the Hills:

April 21, 2021

After 29 years of dedicated service to the Lake in the Hills community, Chief of Police David Brey has announced his plans to retire in July 2021. Throughout his career with the Lake in the Hills Police Department, Brey has demonstrated his commitment to service by excelling in different assignments.

After joining the Village in 1992, Brey was promoted to Sergeant in 2001, Sergeant of Investigations in 2003, and Deputy Chief in 2006. Since his appointment as Chief of Police in 2014, he has instituted a complete revision of the department’s use-of-force policy and training. Use-of-force incidents are one of the highest risk and most scrutinized police interventions. The department used the National Consensus Policy on Use-of-Force as an outline to update policies and training protocols. The new policy and training focused on emphasizing de-escalation techniques, the use-of-force continuum, and less-lethal force options.

Brey also developed a policy requiring automatic review of all use-of-force incidents to include any force used by an officer to compel compliance of a person other than handcuffing. The use-of-force review ensures compliance with department directives and philosophy while documenting trends and identifying training needs or policy updates. These changes improved officer training and accountability while allowing the department to maintain a high level of oversight in force use incidents.

Brey also joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Use-of-Force Data Collection program. The program is a voluntary effort to gather data on use-of-force incidents to provide a national view of use-of-force data. The department has submitted data dating back to 2017. Under Brey, the department adopted the Ten Shared Principles developed by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois NAACP. The Ten Shared Principles is a collaboration with the NAACP designed to bridge mistrust between the police and communities of color. These initiatives put the department in a good position for the new Illinois police reform bill by having the department already in compliance with many of the legislative requirements.

“I am extremely grateful to Chief Brey for his many accomplishments and dedication to our community. He was often seen at community events, including volunteering to help raise funds for our Veterans Memorial at every opportunity,” said Village President Russ Ruzanski. “Our residents have depended on his services, and through his leadership and his devotion to our safety, we have felt secure and watched over each and every day. I thank him for his support and wish him well in retirement.”

To allow ample time for a transitional period before his departure, Village President Russ Ruzanski and Village President-Elect Ray Bogdanowski have selected Deputy Chief Mary Frake to succeed Chief Brey as the next Chief of Police for the Village of Lake in the Hills.

Frake has served the Village for 27 years and was selected from an internal list of highly qualified candidates. She is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Northwestern University’s Police Staff and Command, and holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Columbia College. Deputy Chief Frake began her career with the Village in 1994 and has served in the roles of officer, detective, Sergeant and Deputy Chief. Deputy Chief Frake was a founding team member of the McHenry County Major Crimes Task Force, serving as an investigator and co-commander for 13 years. Deputy Chief Frake further led the team for the Police Department to obtain its first accreditation through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation program.

“Deputy Chief Frake is a talented leader who is deeply dedicated to the men and women of Lake in the Hills,” said Village President-Elect Bogdanowski. “I remember first interviewing her as a police officer when I served on the police commission and am honored that we have come full circle to select her as the next Chief of Police. She strives for excellence, and I’m confident that Lake in the Hills will remain one of the safest communities in the area under her watch. I look forward to working with her.”

An official swearing-in ceremony will be held in July following Chief Brey’s retirement. Details will be published on the Village website.

This press release was produced by the Village of Lake in the Hills. The views expressed here are the author's own.