Elgin police task force starts to focus on the proper number of officers

If Elgin wants to improve the relationship between police and residents, officials may need to create the largest police force in city history, according to a presentation this week by Police Chief Ana Lalley.

That idea will clash with movements around the country toward shrinking police department budgets and outsourcing some of its present functions to social service agencies.

Lalley's data will be a centerpiece for a debate residents will get a chance to weigh in on in the coming months. The citizen's task force looking for ways to improve the police department will get the first crack at it. The task force is charged with developing recommendations for residents and the city council to consider.

Using FBI police department data from 2019 and research from the International City Management Association, Lalley suggested Elgin would be best served with 209 police officers. The city has 184 sworn officers. It's never had more than 195 officers.

More officers, Lalley said, would allow more time for programs that build relationships between police and residents.

"Elgin officers tend to have less unallocated time for proactive initiatives," Lalley told the task force. "They are handling a lot of calls for service. Our programs, our services, our engagement. These impact people coming forward with information. The trust. That's how crimes get solved."

Lalley, however, stopped short of saying she wants more police.

"I get everything from people saying we should put an officer on every corner to sentiment in the community that we don't need as many officers as we have," Lalley said. "When I ask for more police officers, the why is the important part."

The hiring she did in recent years centered on building a crisis unit to better equip the department to handle the underlying causes of calls that involve a mental health need. But several members of the public, including some members of the task force examining police operations, believe people who are primarily and extensively trained to address mental health needs, rather than policing, could do that work better and, possibly, at a lower cost to taxpayers.

Task force member Kevin Zaldivar, citing data he compiled that wasn't shared with the public during the meeting with Lalley, said he believes the department is spending more than $3 million in overtime pay. That's led to multiple police officers making more than $106,000 salaries.

"As far as I can tell, the department doesn't track overtime hours," Zaldivar said. "They don't track the expenses of their programs. To me, that's fiscally irresponsible. What else could those $3 million go to?"

The task force will explore answers to that question in the coming weeks.