Hoffman Estates police deal with year of change
It's been a time of change for the Hoffman Estates Police Department.
Since the summer, police have moved into a new station, seen its chief take a buyout to retire and, most recently, had one of its highest ranking and longest-serving members leave for the top spot in another department.
Village officials said the changes won't disrupt police service. It will, however, give other officers a chance at promotions, Mayor William McLeod said.
“There will be people moving up,” he said.
The personnel changes began in August when former Chief Clinton Herdegen, a 29-year veteran of the force, accepted a buyout and retired. The village promoted then-Assistant Chief Michael Hish to acting police chief.
Village Manager James Norris, who is in charge of hiring a new chief, said a permanent chief could be named soon.
Tuesday brought news that the village's remaining assistant chief, Steven Casstevens, will leave the department Jan. 14 to take the police chief job in Cary. The 52-year-old Casstevens said he is excited to finally be a police chief.
“It's been a career goal of mine since I first became a cop over 30 years ago,” he said. “It was always one of my career goals, I prepared myself.”
Losing Herdegen and Casstevens represents the loss of almost 60 years of institutional knowledge for the department. Nonetheless, Hish doesn't think it will drastically affect operations.
“The department has very well-qualified fill-ins,” he said. “We won't miss a beat as far as service to the community.”
Their departures are a symptom of policies that govern police officer pensions, officials said.
Herdegen and Casstevens both joined the department in 1981 and were sworn in on the same day. That also means they were to reach 30 years of service — when their pension benefits max out — at the same time. Hoffman Estates doesn't allow employees to collect pensions and continue to work for the village.
The village financially prepared for Casstevens' departure by budgeting salary for only one assistant chief in 2011. His replacement likely will come from one of the department's five lieutenants, Hish added. In the meantime, an acting assistant police chief could be named in two to three weeks.
McLeod, likewise, believes the police department will move forward.
“The continuity will still be there” he said. “Hish has been there since ‘85.”
Casstevens and Hish were both up to replace Herdegen, and Hish remains a leading candidate for the post.
“It was a smart decision to give (the acting chief role) to Mike,” Casstevens said. “He's very capable and will do an excellent job.”
Meanwhile, Casstevens reflected on nearly 30 years in Hoffman Estates.
“I remember back when Barrington Road was a single lane in each direction,” Casstevens said. “It's been a lot of expansion in the infrastructure, and a lot of new businesses. It's nice to see how things have grown.”
During his years on the force, Casstevens championed seat-belt safety. In 2007, he won the International Association of Chiefs of Police's J. Stannard Baker Award for his 18 years of work in developing and administering outstanding traffic safety programs, including the Operation Kids curriculum. He also was put in charge of bringing red-light cameras to the village. The camera project stalled for a time, but the village should see them installed later this year.