School Resource Officer (SRO) Dusan Racic was promoted to Sergeant within the Libertyville Police Department in February, meaning he will be leaving his position at Libertyville High School. Officer Wayne Kincaid was named his replacement earlier this month.

This promotion comes for Sgt. Racic after patrolling for nine years and serving as LHS’s SRO for three.

“In the last couple of years, there’s been a lot of changes at our department. A lot of people are retiring, so our department is actually getting younger, which is probably also a good thing: new ideas, a fresher take on things,” Sgt. Racic said.

Sgt. Racic’s new position will include being in charge of day-to-day operations as one of the “front line supervisors for [the] patrol division” supporting Libertyville Police Department officers, he said.

While certain specificities of Sgt. Racic’s work at LHS weren’t shared, in order to ensure the safety of the school, his efforts were recognized by his co-workers and peers, including Assistant Principal Mr. Eric Maroscher.

“What students and staff would not necessarily see is that Sgt. Racic is extremely well trained tactically and prepared for virtually any situation that might arise that could compromise the safety and security of the students and staff at LHS,” Mr. Maroscher said over an email interview.

Mr. Maroscher characterized Sgt. Racic as being “the ultimate protector,” which he said is both rewarding and a responsibility that comes with a “worrisome burden.”

“His daily reflection on this fact is one of the reasons he is so very good at his job and why we are so fortunate to have had him as our SRO,” Mr. Maroscher added.

At LHS, Sgt. Racic regularly worked with the team leaders in each Learning Support Team (LST). These team leaders described him as having a large physical presence, due to his 6’3” stature, that’s balanced with an empathetic and welcoming personality; they described him as someone who can do his job professionally and well, while also having high character.

Having worked with Sgt. Racic for the entirety of his three years at LHS, Mr. Jason Schroeder, the G-P LST team leader is one staff member who has developed a relationship with Sgt. Racic. This relationship, however, didn’t have its beginnings when Sgt. Racic started to work at LHS; it began when Sgt. Racic responded to a break-in at Mr. Schroeder’s home about six years ago.

“He’s got this big presence yet he’s just very personable and understanding and empathetic, but at the same time professional; you connect with him very easy,” Mr. Schroeder said.

He later added that through his interactions with Sgt. Racic, both before and during the time they’ve worked together at LHS, he considers him as a friend. This has developed in part due to the nature of the environment they work in, which he described as both serious and heart-wrenching at times.

This being his first year here at LHS, Mr. Mike Cholipski, the Q-Z LST team leader, described his first interaction with Sgt. Racic, which also didn’t occur when he started work at LHS; he met Sgt. Racic while Mr. Cholipski was still working at Highland Middle School.

“As a police officer, he tries to be very aware whenever he’s involved; sometimes the emotions are elevated or students are struggling, feelings are intensified,” Mr. Cholipski said.

The A-F LST team leader,  Mrs. Meagan Silverberg, further discussed Sgt. Racic’s exemplary character while working at LHS: “He goes above and beyond every day to ensure the safest school possible while also treating each and every student as an individual,” she stated over email.

Although Sgt. Racic will be missed by co-workers, peers and friends alike at LHS, all those interviewed wish him luck in his future endeavors.

Other officers promoted at the Libertyville Police Department at the same time as Sgt. Racic include now Deputy Chief Ed Rocone and Lieutenant Jeffrey Stolzenburg.

Officer Kincaid will start work at LHS this fall.

Officer Kincaid is looking forward to this promotion, interested in the change of job responsibilities and challenges. He added that this job change comes at a good time, as that Officer Kincaid’s son, Jonah Kincaid, will be graduating at the end of this school year; when Sgt. Racic originally applied for the position, he was thinking about applying then as well, but included that Jonah asked him, politely, not to.

“Being on patrol is, you’re in a patrol car and dealing with people as they come in off the street. This is just kind of dealing with young minds and seeing their perspective,” Officer Kincaid said.

Fourteen years of military service, for both the Army and the Coast Guard, and 18 years of serving at the police department precede Officer Kincaid’s work at LHS. When Officer Kincaid isn’t working at the police department, he added that he sometimes works at his wife’s salon and boutique, JoJo and Me, which is located in downtown Libertyville.

When he begins work this fall, Officer Kincaid added that he will try to present a professional appearance at all times. This includes honesty with students, faculty and parents.

“I think they understand, hey I’m doing my job and it works out best for everybody,” he said.