ELGIN (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Elgin’s police chief said she’s having a hard time recruiting new police officers and wants to make changes in the eligibility requirements.
Chief Ana Lalley said she’d like the minimum education required to apply to become an Elgin police officer be lowered to a high school diploma from a four-year college degree.
She told the Elgin City Council’s Committee of the Whole this week she’d like the requirements changed without sacrificing the quality of the officers who make it to the streets.
“We want to continue to build an organization that looks like our community, but building that organization and being mindful that we want competent, capable, empathetic, smart people who think differently," she said.
Chief Lalley said recruiting people who want to be police officers has been difficult, and that part of the reason is because of the scrutiny police have faced in recent years.
She said sometimes requiring a bachelor’s degree just to apply to be an officer is a barrier and that the department could be missing out on good candidates.
“We want people who think differently and understand that and are here to make the city better and the police department better. So, the more people that I can get to take the test, and then we’ll figure out from there when we establish our list," the chief said.
Chief Lalley said most police officers hired in the Elgin area in Kane County only need a high school diploma.
The chief, who was promoted to that job in 2018, said the rigorous process recruits go through once they’re able to apply will make sure quality officers are hired.
“You take a test. You take a physical test. Then there’s a background and once you go through the background you sit in front of the police and fire commission. The Police and Fire Commission, it’s an intense process. After that, you still have to pass the psychological exam and then you still have to go for a medical," Chief Lalley said.
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