Longtime Northfield police chief will not return

Bill Lustig is out as police chief of the Village of Northfield.

The village’s top cop for 24 years, who has been on leave since May, Lustig officially retired on Sept. 30, Village Manager Patrick Brennan announced in a press release on Thursday.

In a text message to The Record, Lustig said his leave was due to medical reasons, and despite a desire to return to work, Lustig and the Village agreed to terms on his retirement. The details of that agreement were not available via press time. Brennan did not return a message from The Record.

Lustig wrote that he was not given a chance to return and bid farewell to his colleagues at Village Hall and the police department.

“But I remain proud of my service to the village and remain committed to the residents of the village,” he texted. “I look to serve the Village in any capacity in the future.”

Lustig began with the Northfield Police Department more than 40 years ago, in 1981. He became chief 19 years later in 2000. Lustig began the Officer Friendly program, which aims to build relationships between police and Northfield’s youth. He is a graduate of Evanston Township High School and lives in Northfield.

In the Village press release, Lustig is given credit for participating in the North Regional Major Crimes Task Force, transitioning dispatch services to a regional operation and placing cameras in police vehicles.

The release includes positive reflections from Village President Greg Lungmus, former Village President Don Whiteman and Chair of the Police Commissioners Board Richard Joutras, who comments on Lustig’s “deep commitment to the village.”

Lustig also took leave in 2021 in what officials described as a medical leave.

The Village of Northfield will soon begin a search for a new police chief. In the meantime, Mike Hutensky will continue as acting police chief, a position he has held since Lustig went on leave earlier this year.

“I am confident in Mike’s ability to guide staff through this period of transition and maintain the standard of professionalism for which our officers are regarded,” Brennan, a former police officer, said in the release.

The Northfield Police Department is in the midst of a turbulent stretch. “Several” officers left the department in 2024, and trustees in June approved incentives to join the Northfield police force.

The department also, following a filed grievance, conducted an internal investigation in 2023 into the conduct of multiple officers. The review led to the departure of Sgt. Kevin Tierney, who reportedly sent pornographic images to colleagues and purposefully entered false nicknames into a police database for years. Another officer was suspended for sharing pornographic images.

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