Womack no longer Elgin's top cop; no word on why

Lisa Womack is no longer Elgin's police chief.

Elgin Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda confirmed Thursday morning that he has taken on the role of acting police chief.

Swoboda referred all other inquiries to city of Elgin, where details about Womack's status were still emerging on whether she left of her own volition.

"The city of Elgin has not received a resignation from Chief Womack," city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said Thursday morning.

Reached at her Elgin home Thursday afternoon, Womack declined to comment on her status.

The city council on Wednesday met for about 45 minutes to discuss "personnel matters" during a closed-door session between its committee of the whole meeting and regular action meeting.

Going behind closed doors to discuss personnel is a common and permissible practice under state law. But the topic was not previously listed on the evening's agenda.

Olafson declined to comment on what may or may not have been discussed during the executive session, as did Mayor Ed Schock.

Schock said he wanted to speak with city attorney William Cogley before making a statement regarding Womack's status.

A message left for Cogley was not immediately returned.

For legal reasons, City Manager Sean Stegall said, he and other city officials could not comment on the matter.

Womack was hired as Elgin's top cop in 2005 for the retiring William Miller and is the city's first female chief.

Before coming to Elgin, she served as chief for Sugar Land, a suburb of Houston, Texas, with an estimated population of about 85,000. She began her career as a police officer in Arlington, Texas, and was named deputy chief there in 2001.

Staff writer Lenore Adkins contributed to this report.