One of ILACP's and IACP's great leaders, Russell Laine, passes away

August 8, 2021

Shown above is the first page of a four-page Tribute to Russ Laine published in the most recent issue of Command magazine (May 2021). A PDF copy of those four pages is attached.

Russell Laine passed away Friday morning, August 6, 2021, in Arizona, after being there for a few months awaiting a lung transplant. He had stepped down in March after serving many years as ILACP Parliamentarian, citing serious health issues. He also recently served as Parliamentarian of the International Association of Chiefs of Police when Buffalo Grove Chief Steven Casstevens was IACP president in 2019-2020.

ILACP email, texts, and phone lines have been filling with notes expressing great sadness at the loss of a great man. He was a mentor to many over the years and beloved throughout the state as one of the great leaders in the history of Illinois law enforcement.

Laine had been retired from law enforcement in recent years but maintained a very active role with the Illinois Chiefs. A detailed list of Laine's accomplishments is in article in the PDF attachment written by his good friend Gary Schira. Those include:

  • President of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police
  • President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Chief of Police in several places, including thirty years in Algonquin and a more recent interim chief position in Fox Lake
  • A major booster of Special Olympics Illinois and the Law Enforcement Torch Run
  • A mentor and trusted advisor to many

As of now there is no word about any services. We will provide more information when it is available.

UPDATE ON CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Updated September 14, 2021

Please note that you are asked to RSVP as requested below if you are planning to participate in the walkthrough or the vehicle procession past the Algonquin Police Department.

Retired Chief Russell Laine, who also served as president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police, died August 6, 2021, in Arizona. An obituary is here.

Chief Laine’s Celebration of Life  

Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 1 p.m.

Light of Christ Church, 1700 Longmeadow Pkwy.  Algonquin Il. 

VFW Honors prior to service begins at approximately 1 pm. Service begins following VFW presentation of flag 

All uniformed personnel wishing to attend the service in its entirety are encouraged to do so – uniformed officers will have a designated side of the church to be seated.   

A walkthrough will take place after the Benediction (Blessing) at end of service – all uniformed personnel will be requested to stand and directed to proceed, exiting the building after the walkthrough and reporting to vehicle for Vehicle procession past APD.  

For those individuals that do not want to attend the service and only wish to participate in the walkthrough and/or the vehicle procession, you are welcome to do so as follows: 

Walkthrough only – enter the church and inform the Welcome Desk you are here for the walkthrough only. You will be seated in an overflow roomcalled the Annex, where you will be able to watch the service remotely.  You will be asked to line up at the doors outside of the Worship Center immediately following the Lord’s Prayer. Please be at the church by 1320 hrs., as the walkthrough will take place at the conclusion of the Benediction, approximately 1345-1350 hrs.   

Vehicle Procession Only – Please be at the church parking lot, in the designated Law Enforcement Parking. by 1330.  In the event that no parking is available, you will be directed to Westfield middle school for overflow parking.   

Individuals/Departments participating in the vehicle procession:   attached is the map for the procession – please be aware the procession ends at Stonegate and Harnish, where you will be directed either west on Harnish to Randall, or south on Stonegate – to County Line Rd, to Randall.  No vehicles should stop at the PD, other than Algonquin Squads.   

The Family of Chief Laine and Members of the Algonquin Police Department and the McHenry County Honor Guard, will be observing the procession from Algonquin PD Parking lot – Again, please do NOT stop at APD as the service will conclude immediately following the vehicle procession.   

For those that are unable to attend, but would like to view the services remotely, the following link has been provided:  https://www.facebook.com/LOCAlgonquin

In lieu of flowers Donations to Special Olympics Illinois  – “In honor of” Russ Laine would be appreciated.  Those interested can go to www.soill.org, there is a box in the upper right hand corner that says donate now, at the bottom of the page is a box which says "In honor of" where you fill in Russ's name and click payment method.

Please send a message to Deputy Chief Walker if you/your department is planning on sending a vehicle and/or participating in the walkthrough [email protected] .  This will allow us to plan for the seating and parking for this celebration.