Should Joliet Officer Suspended 5 Weeks In 2019 Become Sergeant?

JOLIET, IL — The city of Joliet's Board of Fire and Police Commissioners has delayed making a decision on whether to promote long-time Joliet patrol officer Rich Olson Jr. to a supervisor's rank of sergeant after issues with Olson's recent discipline history arose.

Monday's vote on Olson's promotion to sergeant was postponed until next week's meeting to give the board enough time to review all the documents surrounding the Nov. 1, 2018 incident. In 2019, Olson agreed to accept a 24-day work place suspension from the Joliet Police Department.

Olson has been a patrol officer with Joliet police since June 18, 1998. The discipline was issued by former Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner.

Joliet Patch, using he Freedom of Information Act, reported last year that Olson was given one of the harshest punishments of any Joliet police officer during Roechner's first year as chief.

The following documents were obtained by Joliet Patch regarding the Nov. 1, 2018 incident that resulted in the discipline against the 23-year veteran of the Joliet police force.

"While off-duty, you initiated a traffic stop by activating your police squad's emergency lights which led to a vehicle pursuit," Olson's internal affairs memo reflects. "You failed to notify the Communications Center of the pursuit. You continued to pursue the vehicle, which led to the suspect's vehicle being involved in an accident.

"You failed to render aid to victims at the scene of the accident or summon for emergency personnel to the scene. You left the scene of the accident without notifying on-duty personnel, you failed to complete an offense report documenting your actions, and you failed to complete a vehicle pursuit driving form. You failed to perform your duties as a Joliet Police officer and your conducting was unbecoming of a Joliet Police Officer. The complaint was found to be sustained," Roechner advised Olson.

On Jan. 23, 2019, Olson agreed to serve a 24-work day suspension without pay, which amounts to 192 hours of lost wages.

Also at Monday's meeting, Joliet's board of police and fire commissioners refused to reconsider its recent decision to reject a promotion for Sgt. Chris Schott to lieutenant.

Schott was involved in an incident back in December involving another Joliet police officer, an issue that resulted in a 10-day work suspension for Schott.

At this stage, Schott's next recourse is to appeal the denial of his promotion to an arbitrator, officials told Patch.