Elgin Police Department eyes creating 3 commander positions

The Elgin Police Department is getting a makeover.

There won’t be extra supervisors added to the department chain of command, but there will be a restructuring of management — a change Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said is aimed at improving efficiency.

Based on city ordinance, the department is supposed to have one chief, three deputy chiefs, seven lieutenants and 22 sergeants. If the city council approves the change Swoboda is proposing, there will be just one deputy chief, six lieutenants and three new commander positions. The commanders will have fewer administrative duties than the deputy chiefs that came before them and will be expected to play a more hands-on role in the operations of the department.

“The people that we’re going to have in these positions, they’re going to be doers,” Swoboda said. “I need problem solvers, people who are active in the community.”

Swoboda vacated one of the deputy chief positions for his current position in 2010. He said the recent retirement of Robert Beeter left a single deputy chief and made implementing the latest changes make most sense.

Each commander will have a specific role in the department with one overseeing operations, another investigations and the third adjudication and support. Swoboda said those positions should be filled by the end of March as long as the council approves them.

Costs are expected to increase by $164,000 to fill the salaried, nonunion positions. The department is prepared to make up that amount with changes to its school crossing guard program, Swoboda said.

Deputy Chief Cecil Smith is expected to be in charge of the department’s budget, training, emergency management, internal compliance and discipline with the command change. His tasks will be almost entirely administrative and will leave him as Swoboda’s only second-in-command.

“We have so many different things going on,” Swoboda said. “This will help consolidate like efforts.”

Swoboda said the commanders, with fewer administrative duties, will have time to look at best practices compared to other departments and find efficiencies for the department.

The council will discuss the ordinance change during the committee of the whole meeting Wednesday and then have the chance to formally approve it March 7.