Lake in the Hills police want to discharge injured cop

A complaint to discharge a police officer who says he hasn’t been able to work since August 2010 after an on-the-job injury will be heard by the Lake in the Hills police commission later this month.

Lake in the Hills Director of Police and Public Safety James Wales filed a complaint last month to discharge officer Craig James, who has a pending workers’ compensation claim for a back injury he says he suffered when his vehicle was rear-ended during a traffic stop in December 2009. Then a 13-year-veteran of the department, James says he pushed himself to keep working for several months, but his condition kept deteriorating until he was no longer able to work.

James, 41, had a spinal fusion in December 2010, and additional corrective surgery last November. He used his sick, vacation and comp time to stay on the department’s payroll with a salary of $81,675 through March 2011. He then was granted a one-year leave without pay, and applied for disability pension benefits on March 7, just before his leave expired.

Wales said James is taking up valuable space on his roster of 38 sworn officers. The department is down four officers due to budget cuts, he said. “James is still one of those on the books. I can’t fill it until it’s vacant,” Wales said.

James says he could be assigned to light duty, but Wales said that is not what the department needs. Officers usually get light duty on a short-term basis only, while James would never be able to return to full duty because of his injury, Wales said. “I am not aware of any (police department) that would do it for an indefinite period of time,” he said. “I don’t need someone to do desk duty, I need an officer on the street.”

James has since moved in with his parents. His workers’ comp claim, which was assigned to arbitration, is being negatively affected by the fact that he pushed himself to continue working for eight months after his injury, he said. “After the first surgery I thought I’d be back. It didn’t work out that way. It’s been frustrating, very depressing,” he said.

James said he’s worried that if he’s discharged, he will lose his workers’ compensation claim, but Wales said that is an entirely separate matter, as is James’ pension claim.

The Lake in the Hills Police Commission will hear the matter at 7 p.m. Tuesday May 29 at the Lake in the Hills police department, 1115 Crystal Lake Road.