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Tinley Park board appoints McDermott, Portinga to police leadership; trustees address union grievances
Summary
The Tinley Park Board of Trustees on Aug. 19 appointed longtime Chicago Police veteran Brian McDermott as deputy police chief and named James Portinga a division police commander, swearing both in; trustees also discussed a police-union vote of no confidence and grievances alleging CSOs performed duties outside their contract.
The Tinley Park Board of Trustees on Aug. 19 approved several police leadership appointments and held a public discussion about union grievances and a no-confidence vote involving department issues.
The board voted to appoint Brian McDermott to the position of deputy police chief, effective Sept. 2, 2025. During his introduction, trustees said McDermott is a 30‑year law enforcement veteran and a former chief of patrol for the Chicago Police Department. McDermott took the oath of office at the meeting and told the board, “I just wanna say how honored and I'm excited I am to be appointed to the position of deputy chief for Tinley Park Police Department.”
The board also appointed James Portinga as division police commander, effective Aug. 20, 2025. The trustees cited Portinga’s 27 years with the Illinois State Police and his experience in patrol, investigations, SWAT and training. Portinga said he was grateful for the opportunity and that serving in Tinley Park “could not have been a better fit for me.” Both appointments carried on roll call votes.
Trustee Bill Brennan used his remarks later in the meeting to address a union-filed vote of no confidence and other labor disputes. Brennan read portions of a grievance the union submitted that alleges CSOs were assigned security duties at Harmony Square that exceed the administrative scope described in section 11.8 of the collective bargaining agreement. Brennan said the village manager denied that grievance and said management had invited the union to discuss concerns; Brennan also criticized what he described as repeated grievances and defended department leadership.
Trustees and staff described the personnel actions as the result of a selection process and thanked the new appointees. The board did not take additional action on the union’s vote of no confidence at the meeting; trustees said labor issues would proceed through the village’s grievance and negotiation channels.
The appointments and the public discussion of labor grievances were recorded during the meeting; trustees directed staff to continue managing personnel and contract matters through the established administrative and collective-bargaining processes.
