Schaumburg Police Chief Announces Retirement After 44 Years in Law Enforcement

Schaumburg Police Chief Jim Lamkin has announced he will retire May 3 after serving 44 years in law enforcement, the last five of which were spent leading Schaumburg's police department.

Lamkin was appointed Police Chief in 2013 and tasked with implementing recommendations that would continue to restore and enhance the department's reputation with the community.

Throughout his tenure, Lamkin lead the department through a variety of improvements including hiring a Deputy Chief; establishing relationships with community organizations and neighboring departments; and reviewing patrol staffing and deployment to increase efficiencies. He created a positive culture within the department and improved employee relations; established an atmosphere for successful labor contract negotiations; and successfully hired new personnel to meet demands, which has stemmed from recent retirements within the department.

Lamkin was a proponent of creating meaningful partnerships to enhance safety in the village. He made it a priority to work with village departments to increase emergency preparedness efforts and also encouraged an environment of mutual respect and cooperation with local government agencies such as School District 54, Township High School District 211, and the Schaumburg Park District.

Lamkin was responsible for updating department policies and realigning them with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) so that the department could maintain its accreditation status. The department is already in the process of seeking its reaccreditation in 2020.

In addition, Schaumburg was recently given high marks from residents who participated in the National Citizen Survey™ (NCS) in 2018. Key highlights from the survey indicated 95 percent of respondents felt safe in their neighborhoods and 93 percent respondents rated the village as an excellent or good place to live. Trends from previous surveys indicated positive improvements from 2014, including crime prevention and animal control.

Lamkin credits having a committed command staff working with our members in the field and in the police department to keep the community safe for residents and visitors.

Having worked with Lamkin for many years in St. Charles, Schaumburg Village Manager Brian Townsend said Lamkin played a critical role in restoring integrity to the department and improving relations between the department and the community.

"Chief Lamkin accepted a tough challenge and, with his vast knowledge and expertise, was able to set the police department on a path to continued future success," said Townsend. "I am grateful for his years of commitment and dedication to serving the public and I wish him well in his retirement."

Prior to coming to Schaumburg, Lamkin was the Police Chief in the City of St. Charles for 10 years. He also worked for the Elgin Police Department, where he served for 23 years and achieved the rank of Deputy Chief. Additional law enforcement experience includes time served at the Hampshire Police Department and also the Kane County Sheriff's Department. Lamkin also worked collaboratively with neighboring communities to facilitate the creation of the Cook County office of North Central Narcotics Task Force, an arm of the Illinois State Police, with a mission to conduct undercover and overt narcotics investigations.

Schaumburg Deputy Police Chief Bill Wolf is expected to be appointed to serve as Schaumburg's new Police Chief. The appointment is anticipated to be considered at the May 14 Village Board meeting. For more information on the Schaumburg Police Department, visit the village's website at http://bit.ly/2o3qbcw.