Gov. Pat Quinn Appoints Interim State Police Director Ensnarled in Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit

(Chicago, IL) – February 1, 2011. In a shuffle of the state’s police and emergency services, Governor Pat Quinn yesterday named Patrick Keen as the interim director of the Illinois State Police after shuttling the current acting director, Jonathon Monken, to the director’s post at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

Keen is a 25-year state police veteran and currently serves as Deputy Director for the Division of Administration.

This summer Keen became entangled in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by suburban Burbank resident Kifaph Mustapha who claimed that both Keen and Monken violated his civil rights by refusing to accept him as the first Muslim chaplain for the Illinois State Police. Mustapha claimed in his suit that the state police rejected him based on a news article that wrongly identified the Muslim cleric as a “radical fundraiser” for the Hamas-linked Holy Land Foundation in which Mustapha was associated.

Monken, a decorated military Veteran who graduated in the top 1 percent of his military class at West Point, is being shifted to emergency services job by Quinn because the Illinois Senate was unwilling to confirm him in the top cop job because Monken was never a cop himself.

“I salute and thank Jon Monken for his service to the Illinois State Police, which he has led with honor and distinction – most recently during a major winter storm,” said Quinn.

Monken is expected to be confirmed by the senate for emergency services job.

Meanwhile, Current Interim IEMA Director Joseph Klinger will resume his role as the agency’s assistant director. Klinger has served as interim director since May 2010, when Andrew Velasquez III was appointed by President Barack Obama as regional administrator for FEMA.

“I thank Joseph Klinger for his strong commitment to ensuring the safety of the people of Illinois, particularly his work to coordinate the state’s response to the recent winter storm,” said Quinn.

Quinn’s plan for a permanent state police director remains uncertain.