CASEY - To seek a better living environment for his children, Daniel Ring left Chicago to move closer to his family roots in the Casey-Westfield area.

He and his wife, Lisa, spent two years house hunting before finding their "dream house" on 8½ wooded acres east of Westfield. They moved there in 2002, and Ring pursued a law enforcement career. He ultimately found work with the Casey Police Department.

The location of Ring's home, four to five miles beyond the Casey Police Department's residency boundary for officers, cost Ring his job last month. Now he is unemployed and second-guessing his move from Chicago.

"I can honestly say I don't know if it was a good move or not," Ring said.

Ring, previously a Coles County deputy assigned to court security, said he interviewed with the Casey department in the fall of 2006, and the residency requirement was discussed.

The Casey police force had unionized that year, and their contract requires officers to live no more than five miles from the city limits.

Ring said he explained during the interview that his family's home is important to them and that he did not want to move. He said Casey City Councilman Jim Knierim responded that his residency "should not be an issue."

"I should have gotten that in writing," Ring lamented.

Speaking recently, Knierim said he does not remember everything that was discussed during the interview. He said any agreement reached at that time would have been put into writing. He declined to discuss the matter further because he is no longer on the council.

City Attorney Marilyn Resch said she is not aware of Knierim making any comments about amending the residency requirement. She said if an amendment had been discussed during the interview, it could not have changed the residency requirement.

"Comments like that are not binding. You are bound by the written contract," Resch said.

On Oct. 1, 2006, Ring started working for Casey on a 12-month probationary period. Ring said the city extended his probation to Jan. 1, 2008, and later to April 1, with the stipulation that he move within the five-mile radius.

Becky Dragoo, field representative for Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, said her organization offered to work out a special residency exemption for Ring that would not change the terms of the union contract, but city officials were not receptive.

While his probation was extended, Ring said he made arrangements for a month-to-month lease of a rental home within the five-mile radius, starting April 1.

"I would have been there when I was on duty. When I was off duty, I could have gone home to be with my kids and wife," Ring said.

On March 28, Ring's employment was terminated. Resch said Mayor Ed Bolin ended Ring's employment due the residency issue. Bolin could not be reached for comment.

Resch said Ring was hired knowing the union contract's terms, so the terms should not have been a surprise to him. She said Ring presented the city with a 30-day lease agreement.

"We need him permanently within the five miles, so he was told that was not sufficient," Resch said. "We are required to follow the terms of the union contract."

In regard to the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police's special exemption offer, Resch said the city had no interest in extending the residency requirement for its police officers even farther from the city limits.

The city wants its police officers to live as close as possible to Casey so they can respond quickly to emergencies, Resch said. The city would prefer to have its officers live within a 1½-mile radius like other city employees, but a five-mile radius is what was negotiated with the union, she said.

Dragoo said many cities have dropped or relaxed their residency requirements over the years, but others have kept strict rules, believing they will enhance community safety.

"The truth is there is no guarantee you will be able to get ahold of an officer who is off duty," said Dragoo, adding officers cannot be in their towns 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Ring, who lives in the Casey-Westfield School District, said it took him 10 minutes to get to work via Illinois 49, and he was never late.

Lisa Ring said she circulated a petition in December asking for the city to make an addendum for her husband's residency, and she collected about 60 signatures in a few hours. Holding part of the petition, she said she did not file it because she thought the city would keep him on as an officer.

Casey resident Steve Brown said he does not know why the city hired Ring if the residency requirement was so important and officials knew of Ring's commitment to his home.

Brown said Ring took time to talk to teenagers and others in the community. He said Ring's personable but businesslike nature enabled him to defuse potentially tense situations on the job.

"In my eyes, he was an asset because he actually cared about what was going on," Brown said. "Daniel was a very good police officer. He was a good person to have around."

Dragoo said it would be difficult for Ring to pursue a grievance because the union contract's language is clear and because probationary employees can be dismissed at any time. She added the city could contest his month-to-month lease over where he is registered to vote, where his legal domicile is located and other issues.

The union representative said Ring lost a job that he enjoyed and the city lost a good police officer and its financial investment in training Ring.

"I think both sides lost here, and that is the unfortunate thing," Dragoo said.

Rob Stroud can be reached at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.