LANSING | A firefighter and four police officers were promoted last week, including a replacement for the Police Department's deputy chief, who is retiring after more than two decades working in law enforcement in the south suburb.

The Lansing Fire Department also had the hiring of a new firefighter formally approved, during ceremonies that were held as part of the Village Board's regularly scheduled meeting.

The Police Department's new deputy chief is Tony Lucito, who has been with the village's police for 15 years. He comes from a family of law enforcement types, as his father was a police officer in Calumet City.

Lucito is a graduate of the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University, and also has a master's degree from that institution.

Lucito replaces Chas Maricich, who had worked for the Lansing police for 24 years. Police Chief Dan McDevitt cited Maricich's contribution to establishing many of the procedures that helped professionalize the suburb's Police Department from the small-town force it once was.

"This man has helped set up procedures that are going to remain in place in Lansing long after all of us are gone," McDevitt said.

Other promotions formally approved for the Lansing Police Department on Tuesday were that of Pete Grutzius to the rank of commander. A graduate of the FBI Academy, he has been with the Police Department for 18 years, and helped create their emergency response team.

Steve Roberts was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He has been with the Lansing police for 13 years, and his father was also once a police officer in the suburb.

Bob Protsman was promoted to the rank of sergeant. With a dozen years spent with the Lansing police, Protsman is a CSI investigator for the department. He also has helped create a self-defense program.

For the Fire Department, Bill Stubitsch was promoted to the rank of engineer.

He has been with the department full-time for seven years, and is currently undergoing the certification necessary to be designated as an arson investigator.

The department also had the hiring of Aaron Jadernaak approved. The new firefighter/paramedic was hired away from the East Hazel Crest Fire Department, where he had worked for two years, following five years with the Fire Department in Dyer.

Although his hiring was not official until Tuesday, he actually began on the job earlier this month, and had two emergency incidents on his first day.

Lansing fire officials assisted with a structure fire in Lynwood and with a house explosion in Munster.

"He performed as well as any firefighter could at both incidents," Fire Chief Dan Gregorovic said.

Also on Tuesday, the Village Board presented a plaque to retiring Police and Fire Commission member Gerald O. Robey. The four-member commission handles the testing of new firefighters, handles promotions and also oversees discipline in cases where a police officer or firefighter acts inappropriately on the job.