Elgin police chief says changes needed to TRUST Act

Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley told community members at an immigration enforcement forum Wednesday that changes are needed to the Illinois TRUST Act to clear up ambiguities in the legislation.

Lalley also provided an update on the status of officer Jason Lentz, who was put on leave in October after comments he made on social media related to immigration enforcement.

Lalley told the crowd at the meeting that she’s working with Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser and others to propose amendments to the Illinois TRUST Act, which restricts local law enforcement from collaborating or interfering with federal immigration enforcement.

Lalley said she heard the disappointment from the community that officers did not stay on the scene longer during an immigration enforcement action at Maple Lane on Dec. 6, but explained that they had to deal with the gray areas of the TRUST Act.

“This is a very difficult situation,” she said. “If we stand out there, to some people in our community, it looks like we are assisting immigration. To some people, if we stand out there, we’re impeding an investigation.”

She said changing the legislation could help eliminate uncertainty for officers.

“Is there something that we can do to the TRUST Act to change the legislation that allows the officers the freedom and flexibility not to be in the gray area so they’re not afraid of getting arrested for obstructing, and they’re not signaling to our community that they’re assisting immigration?” she said.

She said she spoke with Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser for guidance on Dec. 6 and stayed in constant communication with officers on the scene.

“They were in a very bad, difficult situation,” she said. “But they responded. They took police reports, our detectives spent hours investigating and gave those reports to our state’s attorney. And we did follow up. So the things that some people are saying we are not doing, we did. We just are not doing it good enough for them, and I get that.”

Meanwhile, Lalley said the investigation into the comments Lentz made on social media is complete. The findings have been sent to the city’s Civilian Review Board. The panel will make a recommendation to Lalley, who will hold a pre-disciplinary meeting with Lentz before making a final decision on any punishment.