On what was supposed to be a day of commemoration for a fallen K9 officer, Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain decided to settle an old score.
Speaking just after a moment of silence was held for K9 Officer Hudson, who was killed in the line of duty in a shootout in May, Hain used the occassion to directly blame Aurora mayor Richard Irvin not only for the tragic events of that day but also a general lack of cooperation with Hain’s office that puts lives in jeapordy.
“In May, the city of Aurora mayor [Irvin] made comments about me and my office, but mainly about me, that were degrading and untruthful and reckless regarding this incident,” Hain stated.
Hain was referring to complaints by Irvin and Aurora Police Department after the May incident accusing Hain’s office of interrupting an APD undercover operation that would have captured the subject the day before the incident had the Sheriff’s office not interfered.
“I have offered for the last six years to integrate 9 deputies and 1 supervisor to the Aurora Police Deprtment…which has fallen on deaf ears,” Hain said. Then, turning to the commemorative statue of K9 Hudson, he concluded “This is the outcome of what happens when you refuse to communicate.”
“I’m very disappointed in the behavior of the [Aurora] mayor and police administration.”
Unsurprisingly, Irvin didn’t take kindly to Hain’s accusations.
“His statement today blaming the city of Aurora for the death of the canine officer were incredible and absolutely wrong, but indicative of the Ron Hain playbook,” Irvin said in a statement. “This unfortunate situation was due to the lack of communication, but not on our part. It was solely on Hain.”
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser, who was introduced with Hain at the beginning of the ceremony, later issued a statement through her office essentially disavowing Hain’s remarks, indicating that she had no idea of their content ahead of time.
