Schaumburg hires Elgin's interim police chief as deputy chief
Elgin interim Police Chief Bill Wolf will join the Schaumburg Police Department as deputy chief beginning Aug. 14, Schaumburg Chief James Lamkin announced Monday.
The hire carries the expectation that Wolf will be strongly considered to succeed Lamkin when he retires sometime next year.
"I'm very excited to move to Schaumburg," Wolf said. "It's such a great department."
The original posting for the deputy police chief position - which attracted 104 applicants from across the country - called for the new hire to live in or near enough to the village to be considered for the chief position, Lamkin said.
While Wolf's residence in Elgin qualifies him to hold the Schaumburg chief position, current Deputy Chief Dan Roach is not able to live near enough to Schaumburg to meet the requirement, Lamkin said. Wolf said he expects he will move to Schaumburg within the next year or two.
A recent restructuring of the Schaumburg department created two deputy chief positions with different focus areas. Roach initially will lead department operations, including patrol, investigations and special operations, while Wolf will start off with the administrative duties of records, budget, training and support. As time goes on, there will be more exchange of responsibility between the two positions, Lamkin said.
Before Lamkin served as police chief in first St. Charles and then Schaumburg, he also worked directly with Wolf in Elgin.
"The time I spent in Elgin really helped prepare me for what I do today," Lamkin said.
Wolf, 49, has worked with the Elgin department for 26 years, working his way up from patrol officer to sergeant, lieutenant, commander and deputy chief. He also was a detective, SWAT team operator and investigations division commander.
Lamkin wrote to the directors of other Schaumburg departments Monday, citing Wolf's numerous commendations in Elgin and his spearheading of "intelligence-led policing efforts" that led to a 46-year low in crime.
Wolf said the large business community in Schaumburg is one of the factors that makes its policing different from Elgin's.
But many things are the same, including the community policing that he was on the forefront of in Elgin as a new officer in 1992. At that time, he was part of a resident officer program in which he lived in a troubled neighborhood to establish a stronger, friendlier tie between the department and community.
Wolf's years in Elgin ultimately made it a hard decision to leave, he said, with that department looking for a new chief in the short term and Schaumburg looking long term. But after discussing it with his wife, he decided the opportunity in Schaumburg was too good to pass up.
Lamkin said that while he has told Schaumburg of his intention to retire in 2019, no specific date has been decided.
The decision on his successor will be made by Village Manager Brian Townsend, with Lamkin's recommendation possibly playing a role.