Kane Sheriff Kramer says farewell, then is asked, why is incoming sheriff denied return to active duty?

Kane County Sheriff Don Kramer's farewell speech Thursday turned into a grilling about whether he's hindering Sheriff-elect Ron Hain's transition into office.

Kramer thanked Kane County Board members for their support during his four years in office. He highlighted the hiring of 75 people, updating the entire fleet of vehicles and revamping the school resource officer program as positive changes he instituted.

"I'd like to believe I've left the sheriff's office in a much stronger position," Kramer said. "There's no issues going on right now at the jail or in public safety. When I took over, I had 17 lawsuits and 267 grievances to deal with. There's only one lawsuit right now and some grievances attached to it. And this will be the third year in a row that I'll come in on budget."

But as the board finished applauding Kramer, county board Chairman Chris Lauzen asked about the transition to Hain's leadership. Lauzen said he's received emails indicating Hain, now deputy sheriff and a sergeant, requested a return to active duty status.

During the campaign, Kramer criticized Hain for being on duty just 59 days in the last 21 months because of an injury sustained on the job. A note from Hain's doctor has now cleared him to perform light duty work.

The request was denied. Department policy says officers can receive a light duty assignment only if there is light duty to be performed. There is no light duty available, Kramer said.

There was a follow-up request as recently as Nov. 8. That, too, was denied after consultation with the county's human resources department and the state's attorney's office.

Lauzen expressed concern about the denials being a major obstacle to Hain getting up to speed with his duties as the incoming sheriff.

"Would it be the will of this committee to facilitate the transition?" Lauzen asked. "We have a huge challenge that Sheriff Kramer has shouldered for four years. There are plenty of things that could be addressed now. Why not allow (Hain) to come back? I would ask an exception to that general rule so a more normal transition can occur."

There was no support by committee members for Lauzen's proposal.

Kramer said he scheduled two days later this month for Hain to come in, off-duty, and meet with the chief deputy.

"It's not going to be any more helpful to be there for the next 15 days as opposed to those two days," Kramer said.

In an interview, Hain said he sought reinstatement to help with his transition, but he doesn't view the denials as major roadblocks. He already created a new organizational chart and interviewed some of the midlevel supervisors for staffing changes he wants to make.

"Because I ran an almost two-year campaign of what I wanted to do once I got into office, I think we can hit the ground running," Hain said. "Obviously, it would be better if I was in the office to facilitate that."

The biggest learning curve will be getting up to speed with the 2019 budget Kramer put together. Hain will now inherit that budget.

"Where is the budget right now, and where the budget is going to be Dec. 1, is something I don't know right now," Hain said. "I have plans, but I don't know yet how the budget for 2019 fits with my plans."