Elgin police chief tells promoted staff members to 'think of the greater good'

Newly promoted Elgin Police Deputy Chief Colin Fleury had some advice for the other seven members of the department who moved up the supervisory ranks on Tuesday.

They should empower, mentor, nurture and guide police officers toward the right path, and most importantly, they should have the courage to take the necessary steps to ensure the officers remain safe, Fleury said.

Fleury was hired in 1999 and was promoted to commander in 2015. He has a bachelor's in law enforcement administration from Western Illinois University, and his assignments have included the patrol and gang crimes unit, the neighborhood officer program and the SWAT team. He earned a Franklin M. Kreml leadership award when he attended the school of police staff and command at Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety.

Fleury spoke during a ceremony Tuesday at the Centre of Elgin that also featured the retirement of Al Young, a 28-year veteran who served as deputy chief for just under a year.

"I have loved every single day," Young, a widely well-liked police officer, said during an emotional speech.

Young served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed to the Iraq War before he was hired in 1991 in Elgin. He served in the patrol and drug units, as a school resource officer, resident officer and in the SWAT team, and supervised multiple divisions. He will be joining the Elgin Community College police department as shift commander.

Young recalled his mother telling him as she dropped him off at work on his first day, "I'm proud of what you are going to be," and credited her for having the vision and spirit to forecast what her children could accomplish.

Young also praised the professionalism of city and police leadership in recent difficult times, alluding to a police-involved fatal shooting in 2018, the city's first in 19 years. The department never failed to provide high-quality services free from personal opinions and overt biases, he said. "As a department we are proud of this, but by no means it is out of the ordinary. This is what we do here in Elgin," he said.

Cmdr. Frank Trost, a 20-year veteran, and Sgt. Katy Potts, a 19-year veteran, also retired Tuesday. Trost, who earned a Ph.D. from Governors State University last year, was hired to teach criminal justice at Harper College; Potts will serve as a lieutenant overseeing training for the Augusta University Police Department in Georgia.

The others promoted were commanders Richard Ciganek and Adam Schuessler, lieutenants Eric Echevarria - the first Latino lieutenant in Elgin - and Matthew Udelhoven, and sergeants Jeffrey Schultz, Anthony Rigano and Jonathan Rustay.

Police Chief Ana Lalley said those who were promoted should be recognized for being willing to challenge themselves.

"Before each new promotion I meet with people," she said. "I meet them so that they know what my expectation of a supervisor is - which is always to think of the greater good, work toward improving yourself every single day, support your peers and those you will supervise. And always remember - we serve the community."