After serving more than 20 years as Northfield’s police chief, and more than 40 years in total serving on the village’s police force, Bill Lustig has left the position.
However, Lustig and village officials take different views about the nature of his departure. Lustig said he intended to return to the post after taking a medical leave; the village president said at a Village Board meeting that Lustig retired voluntarily.
Nearly two months after he signed a greater than $218,000 retirement package, Lustig spoke about the end to his Northfield law enforcement career.
“No 44-year employee is treated the way I was treated,” Lustig, 64, said. “I was a good employee and sacrificed a lot, including my family. This village came first.”
The village hired Lustig in August 1981 as a community service officer, according to a village press release announcing Lustig’s departure. He moved up to police officer and then received several other promotions on the way to becoming police chief in October 2000.
The village credits him with presiding over several accomplishments, according to the release, including developing Northfield’s “Officer Friendly” program, working in tandem with other local police chiefs in creating the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force and transitioning to a joint dispatch center.
Things changed for Lustig in May when he suffered a series of “mini-strokes” later described as a “medical emergency” by his brother, Dan Lustig.
Bill Lustig maintained he made medical progress and the neurologist he saw thought he could return on a part-time basis at first.
When Lustig met with Village Manager Patrick Brennan over the summer, Lustig said the recommendation was that he should retire, based on the medical reports.
Lustig said he was presented pre-written retirement letters and he was not allowed to say goodbye to his staff in person or pack up his office.
“I found that truly a disrespectful thing to do to me after 44 years,” Bill Lustig said.
Brennan, who said the village was “quite restricted” in discussing the situation on grounds that it could be exposed to liability, disputes Lustig’s version of events regarding that sequence.
“Bill was welcome to come to visit the police department to greet the team and collect his personal items,” he wrote in an e-mail. “He always had an open invitation and had in fact visited the department during his leave, so I am not sure why he may have felt otherwise.”
Conversations were held with the involved parties and on Oct. 3, Lustig and Brennan signed a retirement agreement paying Lustig over $218,000 through a combination of a six-month lump sum payout, health insurance coverage and sick leave, according to a village document. Also, Lustig and the village release each other from any legal action.
On Oct. 10, the village issued a statement officially announcing Lustig’s retirement, praising his accomplishments and including compliments from past and present village officials. Five days later, the village board unanimously approved the retirement package with Village President Greg Lungmus addressing the situation, saying rumors that Lustig was forced to retire were not factual.
“Chief Lustig has not been forced out of office by the village manager, the village president, any of the trustees or anybody from Northfield,” Lungmus said. “Chief Lustig voluntarily of his own accord and desire and in fact, he executed his own voluntary retirement agreement memorializing the voluntary nature of his retirement.”
Lungmus said there were circumstances he could not discuss that led to the retirement.
Amid praiseworthy statements from the Village Board, Trustee Tom Whittaker was appointed to head a small group for ideas to honor Lustig.
Whittaker said Lustig was his best friend.
“He has left an impact on myself forever,” Whittaker said. “He has left an impact on my family forever.”
Dan Lustig took issue with some of the village’s statements.
“Too bad the village did not treat the chief in a manner consistent with its public announcement of his retirement,” Dan Lustig said.
Several other community members joined Dan Lustig in complaining about the nature of Bill Lustig’s departure.
The village named Deputy Police Chief Mike Hutensky as Acting Chief of Police amid a search for a permanent replacement.
Bill Lustig speaks of an uncertain future and whether he even will stay in the village where he has lived.
“It will be some time before I know what I am going to do,” he said.