Dolton names new police chief amid controversy over legality of appointment
DOLTON, Ill. – Dolton has a new police chief, but some local officials claim village leadership broke the rules in making the appointment.
WGN News was told Ronald Burge Sr. started working as chief Friday morning after being appointed by Mayor Tiffany Henyard. Burge Sr. is actually a former chief who later ran against Henyard in the race for mayor. His appointment is a move trustees are calling illegal.
"It's an illegal appointment. We have an ordinance that says she's supposed to go through the board," Board of Trustees member Kiana Belcher said.
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Belcher, along with other members of the Board of Trustees, said they started receiving phone calls from concerned police officers Friday morning about their new boss after a period of turmoil. Those same officers presented a unified vote of no confidence in Lewis Lacey, the former acting chief.
Lacey, a Henyard ally, was fired by the board and is currently facing a federal bankruptcy fraud charge.
"This person has the same level of unprofessionalism of Lewis Lacey. We experienced a Ronnie Burge episode before as the chief," Belcher said.
Burge Sr.'s certification with the state is listed as inactive, but he's previously served as chief in Dolton, Harvey and Dixmoor. In 2019, Burge's son – a Dixmoor commander with the same name – was charged and later convicted of aggravated battery and official misconduct stemming from an incident at the police station that was caught on camera.
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"I am proud of my son...I would not hesitate to do what I had to do," Burge Sr. said in 2020.
In 2021, still as Dixmoor's chief, Burge Sr. pulled officers from patrol because he said the village did not provide them the basic supplies they needed to do the job.
"We cannot provide those services if we don't have what's required of us," Burge Sr. said.
State records show Burge Sr. left Dixmoor that year and hasn't served on a police force in Illinois since. Trustee argue his hiring in Dolton isn't legitimate.
"He will not get paid by the Village of Dolton," Belcher said.
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Trustees plan to fight the appointment in court. WGN News reached out to representatives for Henyard and have not heard back.
WGN reporter Jenna Barnes also went inside to talk to Burge Sr., but was told he's not in.
