Sgts. Ellis & Muraski Graduate from Northwestern’s Center for Public Safety

A press release from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office:

Graduation Announcement: Sergeant Eric Ellis and Sergeant Michael Muraski Graduate from Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety

January 27, 2015- Sergeant Eric Ellis and Sergeant Michael Muraski recently graduated from the School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) at Northwestern University held in Libertyville, IL, from September 15, 2014 to January 16, 2015.

Sergeants Ellis and Muraski were students in SPSC Class #368, totaling 28 students, for a total of ten weeks of formal instruction. This program, which was implemented by the Center for Public Safety in 1983, has produced over 9,000 graduates both nationally and internationally.

The School of Police Staff and Command provides upper-level college coursework on topics such as:

  • Leadership and Management
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Employee Relations
  • Budgeting
  • Resource
  • Allocation
  • Contemporary Policing
  • Traffic

Graduates are given the tools to think globally rather than remain task oriented and empowered to deliver services effectively and efficiently, analyze the environment, and develop systems of accountability.

Upon successful completion, students may be awarded a total of 6 units of undergraduate credit from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

The Center for Public Safety was established at Northwestern University in 1936 with the specific goal of expanding university based education and training for the Law Enforcement Community. Since its inception, the Center has broadened its original objective and now provides a variety of courses and programs in the area of Police Training, Management Training, and Executive Development.

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office anticipates a variety of benefits from Sergeants Ellis and Muraski’s attendance in this program. Many of the program’s graduates have gone on to achieve a variety of leadership positions within their respective agencies.


Comments

Sgts. Ellis & Muraski Graduate from Northwestern’s Center for Public Safety — 31 Comments

  1. Who frickin cares this is nothing more than a waste of tax payers dollars

    They pay for the attendance and they get paid to.

    Pay for your own advantage

  2. I’m just wondering why this is the first article posted about the Sheriff’s Office since the hiring of the new Deputy Chief of Patrol.

    I would like to know if Cal is for or against this hire.

    I’ve been a reader of this blog for a few years now and I usually in agreement with Cal’s opinions so I would like to know where he stands on this issue.

    I voted for Prim because that is who you recommended.

    I don’t care if you agree or disagree on the subject but I’m very interested in knowing your opinion. Usually you’re on the for front of current issues, why not this time?

    Your silence about it after vigorously campaigning for Sheriff Prim makes me wonder if you are now having buyer’s regret.

  3. So are these guys reporting directly to the new Commander with the conviction surrounding for beating women and the DUI?

    That is some serious “organizational behavior” precedent that the Sheriff is setting with that vile hire.

  4. I am also interested in where Cal stands on this.

    Was hoping for an article by you.

    By the way, my opinion is that prim scammed everyone and insulted all the good deputies when he hired a man with criminal convictions to head patrol.

    If a young guy or girl would apply to be a new deputy they would not be considered period.

    Why would McNamara be ok.

    Shameful Mr. Prim. You will likely be a one term sheriff.

  5. Is Ellis still a Zinke guy or has he changed his tune due to the election?

  6. 1776 is right …..who the hell cares about this all-expense paid vacation for glorified bouncers.

  7. I wonder if during any of these classes they took one on ethics and hiring?

    Do they now have to take all their years of service any thing they learned about law enforcement ethics and report to some guy who apparently beats women and endangers family’s while drunk driving?

  8. …and put me in with many of your other historical readers Cal.

    I get what you do here is politically directed opinion/commentary and not news but very disappointed you seem to not have chosen to address and defend your political cliques support of hiring an individual with such a vile criminal record as a Law enforcement supervisor.

    I typically agree with you on state and national matters and disagree on some specific local issues, but I had hoped you would be the one guy from that cheer leading squad that would take a principled stand.

    I sure hope if it was Obama placing someone into a law enforcement position with such an ugly criminal record you wouldn’t give him such a pitiful pass.

  9. …I mean i get the sentencing guidelines but aren’t the crimes in question arguably uglier than anything our former Prison bound governors have done?

  10. I agree with all of the above comments.

    I sent Cal an e-mail asking him why he had not published the article from the NW Herald regarding the hiring of the questionable Deputy Chief of the Patrol.

    Cal was too busy working on something else.

    Still waiting.

  11. Notice – these classes started before Prim was there.

    Not so sure about the “criminal” issue.

    I think things are being read into this and info put out that has been edited to make McNamara look bad.

    If he did such a horrible thing – why a misdemeanor?

    i do not even find that he was arrested.

    Police reports are only what people tell the cops, not always the truth.

    Only one side may be shown here.

    Depends on whose side the person giving the report is on.

    I do not swallow this as wholly truthful.

    I checked out a few things and find that McNamara may well have saved many lives and helped communities with his undercover work.

    I do not buy how this whole thing was supposed to come down.

    His work experience may well be beneficial to the county.

    Also, understand, he was cleared by very high levels in government in order to get details for such high level officials as Gingrich.

    I think this is all political.

  12. James K., What “very high Level” agency gave Mr Mcnamara what level of clearance exactly?

    If he has been given an actual level of clearance by an agency like the Secret Service it would seem very easy to simply state that as a fact an not an implication.

    It is kind of scary in itself that some guy with such an ugly criminal history is being “cleared” by some odd implied “secret service clearance” that it seems like he won’t specify.

    I expect there are several FOI requests out to agencies like the secret service to see if they ever gave him an clearance, it sure would be easier if you guys would make a specific claim as to what high level goverment agency gave him a clearance.

    Right now the avoidance to simply give specifics stinks to high heaven.

    In his application to the County what high level agency has he claimed clearance from if any?

  13. What we seemingly do know from actual documents is a conviction that involves some ugly violent behavior towards women and a much more recent DUI charge where the arresting officer apparently states he falsely claimed to work for the Chicago PD.

    The quote around telling a officer he worked for a Dept. he did not, seems to make the odd implied “high level govt. clearance” implication all that more troubling as it could point to a pattern of behavior.

    It is troubling in itself, but is more troubling is did the current Sheriff actually do a full background check here or is it a very scary amateur hour in this county in regards to public safety?

  14. what do you expect from butseriouslynow, they are the regime, nygren/zinke lovers who have lost
    their connection and Prim won’t put up with the bull shit that they left behind.

  15. Butt— Have to have clearance from State Dept. for high level people.

    Newt was speaker of the house and 3rd inline for president.

    Newt does have valuable. secret info about our country and has protection for that reason.

    Enough of your bs.

  16. For all you Prim haters, I have an idea, why don’t you check into things before you make such stupid comments.

    Matt is going to be a great asset to the Sheriff’s department.

    Another idea for the Prim haters.

    I want you all to stand outside tonight and tomorrow and measure the snow.

    We will come and find you when the snow melts.

  17. I’ve been waiting for Cal to weigh in on this, as well as most everyone else, but I guess enough time has passed on McNamara.

    I feel, much to the chagrin of certain posters, no more need to read or participate in this blog.

    It’s readily apparent Cal has fallen in line with the new power brokers floating around.

    Ironic–that’s the same, damning ideologue most of these posters have blasted NW Herald for.

    It’s a shame (sham?) really, I at least liked parrying with some people here–but what’s the point?

    Cal has confirmed that this blog is not a bastion of investigative journalism for the people–it’s just a propaganda machine of the (new) regime.

    Later all, catchya in the funnies…

  18. This post was NOT about Matt, it was about 2 officers completing a class and you turn it into
    a Matt and Prim attack.

    Face it all you Nygren/Zinke people, things are changing for the better so stop complaining and get used to it.

  19. Voter you are correct that this article is not about the newly hired Deputy Chief of Patrol.

    However, this is the first and so far only post about the Sheriff’s Department since the hiring occured.

    This is why I added my comments on this story because it had to do with MCSO.

    It would have made no sense if I added my comment to one of the numerous Lakewood TIF posts.

    I have made no negative comments about the new D/C.

    I just want to know Cal’s opinion.

    As I said I voted for Prim based on Cal’s recommendation from this blog.

    Cal’s prolonged silence on this is saying more than anything he may have said for or against the hire.

  20. Voter and Duncan McHenry I am not a “Prim hater” nor am I from the “Nygren/Zinke camp”.

    Voter you are correct that this article is not about the newly hired Deputy Chief of Patrol.

    However, this is the first and so far only post about the Sheriff’s Department since that hiring occured.

    This is why I added my comments on this story because it had to do with MCSO.

    It would have made no sense if I added my comment to one of the numerous Lakewood TIF posts. I have made no negative comments about the new D/C, he may be a great guy but I don’t know.

    I think the timing of hiring him now is bad and with his history it makes people question Sheriff Prim’s judgment.

    I just want to know Cal’s opinion.

    As I said I voted for Prim based on Cal’s recommendation from this blog.

    Cal’s prolonged silence on this is saying more than anything he may have said for or against the hire.

  21. JamesK, so you are clearly stating that Newt had to have had clearance of the State dept. for all employees of a private bodyguard company?

    That does not even make sense.

    I suppose I could waste their time and include them on a FOI request but I don’t really expect either one of us suspect they will reply that had given any security clearance to him.

    If the guy has been given a security clearance by such an agency I really wish one of you Prim people would just ask him what specific Federal or State agency gave him what security clearance, then we can FOI it and it will be settled.

    Most of us now suspect this is smoke and mirrors and this justification for ignoring the vile criminal record has no real substance.

    Which scares me if the Counties statement uses this implied clearance if it perhaps doesn’t actually exist.

  22. I’m glad people are airing their grievances about Prim’s hiring of McNamara.

    Just an FYI, I was the first to comment on this post and Cal decided to censor my question about why he wouldn’t comment on the McNamara issue, however, he allows discourse from Duncan, even if said discourse is nothing short of a jester throwing rotten fruit.

    It just goes to show that Skinner is an opinion based hitman first and a news source second.

    His continued silence is deafening on the McNamara hiring issue and I suspect many longtime readers ought to question his motives in future political races.

  23. As for Posts about the Sheriff’s department in general.

    Prim is now an elected official.

    He made many political promises along the way and was very critical making implications of ethics of others.

    Now is where we the voters start evaluating his actions.

    It doesn’t end with winning an election it just starts.

    So stop the whining that he is starting to get criticism on his actions.

    He promised the end to political cronyism and started with some of the most political blatant crony hires we have seen in the county.

    He spent a campaign implying criminal behavior in others who have never been charged with a crime and then goes out and hires a supervisor who looks to have the ugliest actual criminal record of any known current law enforcement officer anyone has been able to find anywhere.

    His actual actions to date appear much worse than what he even implied and insinuated in others.

  24. I mean I get the mentality of those who will justify anything from the guy they got emotionally attached to in an election despite actions.

    I debate Obama supporters on some of his policies almost daily.

    They often justify his actions by saying “he won so he must be right”.

    Prim insiders claim to be the opposite of that but we are quickly seeing they are even worse in their willingness to justify any action by “their guy”.

    We haven’t been able to find any example of an agency hiring a law enforcement supervisor with an uglier criminal record anywhere in the country, yet.

    But hey he’s your guy so who cares we appear to have marked what seems to be the lowest ethical bar in the country on that one.

  25. I guess I am surprised just how many people who claim to be so concerned about ethics and public safety are so quick to justify such an ugly criminal record.

  26. poor Nygren/Zinke looser.

    See it proves you just want to go after Prim because this article is about 2 officers.

  27. ‘butseriously” you are a “Regime Supporter” and that is exactly what motivates your nonsense comments.

    Prim is the right guy for the job.

    So all you, Zinke, back stabbing, blood sucking, scumbags, get a life.

    Sure hope you like orange, because it’s your color.

    It ain’t over yet!

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