Wonder Lake police chief resigns, deputy chief tapped to take over part-time department

After more than two years in the part-time role and 11 years with the department, Wonder Lake Police Chief Lee Redlin has announced his resignation.

Redlin’s departure was announced July 10 on the Wonder Lake Police Department’s Facebook page. He was a sergeant before being tapped as interim top cop in late 2022. He was sworn in as the official chief in February 2023.

Redlin will “focus on his full-time career and family obligations,” according to the post. He also has a full-time policing job in a Cook County department.

Deputy Chief Kyle Mandernack – who also works for the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office – will be sworn in as the new chief during the Village Board meeting Wednesday, Village President Dan Dycus said.

Wonder Lake has no full-time officers or administrators, Dycus said, adding that he had hoped to get at least one full-time slot approved in the 2025-26 village budget, but “that wasn’t possible.”

A future special census – or the results of the 2030 census – could put the village in position to move to a full-time department with additional funding, Dycus said. But a special census “is a difficult thing to get accomplished given reductions at the state and federal level,” he said. “Once the current population of Wonder Lake is recognized, there is a better shot at a full-time department.”

Census data from 2023 showed Wonder Lake to be the fastest-growing community in Illinois.