By JAMES MITCHELL
Sunday Times Newspapers
LINCOLN PARK — The Police Department welcomed a new officer back to duty Tuesday, a familiar face who resigned from the force in December.
The Lincoln Park Public Safety Commission unanimously approved on Feb. 16 the hiring of patrol officer Chad Pierson, who resigned from the department due to concerns he’d be laid off. Pierson took a position with the Taylor Police Department, and soon found the same uncertainty, prompting the request to return to Lincoln Park.
“The reason he left is he was given the impression he’d be laid off,” Mayor Patricia Diaz Krause said. “The same thing happened (in Taylor), so he asked if he could have his job back.”
The reappointment was all but a foregone conclusion, Diaz Krause aid. While Commissioner Joel Solomon allowed that, typically, the request would be reviewed for a later decision, the panel’s support of Pierson was matched by that of his former colleagues.
“The police department is very happy,” Diaz Krause said. “There were tons of officers there all saying good things about this guy.” Diaz Krause said that the discussion referenced a similar situation a few years ago, setting a precedent for rehiring a recently-resigned officer.
Pierson reportedly told the commission he regretted leaving, as his heart belongs to Lincoln Park.
Diaz Krause said the decision allowed a “seamless transition” for an officer already familiar with the department, community and procedures.
“It’s like he never left,” Diaz Krause said.
(James Mitchell can be reached at [email protected])