Retiring cop named Elgin Professional Standards Officer

Elgin city leaders didn't have to look far to fill the newly created position of Professional Standards Officer.

The city tapped Jim Barnes, a 31-year Elgin police veteran and sergeant, for the job in which he will respond to and investigate complaints against police officers and all city employees, including public works drivers and code enforcement officers.

"It's bittersweet to leave a job that you've had since you were a young man. But I'm not going that far," Barnes said.

Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall said Barnes' role will be comparable to the state's inspector general office in Chicago.

"We wanted to be more proactive," Stegall said, adding that in the past, department heads and other supervisors would investigate complaints. "Bigger cities have these (positions)."

Stegall said Barnes was a natural choice for the position because his duties at the police department included investigating complaints against officers.

"Frankly, Jim Barnes has been the most effective we've seen at it in a long time," he said.

The new position was not advertised and Barnes will be collecting a police pension while on the city's payroll. But Stegall said he doesn't equate Barnes' situation to "double dipping" because Barnes will be doing more work at the city for less pay than he received at the police department.

Sue Olafson, Elgin's city spokeswoman, said Barnes earned $118,088.70 at the police department last year and the new position pays $83,908 annually.

Barnes addressed his new position at a ceremony Monday in which Ed Cummings, a 19-year veteran, was promoted to his sergeant's post and two new officers, Adam Green and Andrew Stein, were sworn in. Green and Stein came to Elgin from police departments in Warrenville and Kenosha, Wis., respectively.

Today's moves bring the Elgin Police Department's ranks of sworn officers to 180.

Acting Police Chief Jeffrey Swoboda welcomed the new officers and said all officers must stay true to their oath and the department's code of ethics.

"There's a greater good that we all recognize," Swoboda said. "We can never take the trust of the community for granted."