Clarendon Hills loses new police officer before he starts

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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:09AM

The man who was to become Clarendon Hills’ first new police officer since 2005 has opted instead to take a job as an officer with the Elmhurst Police Department because of a possible future merger of the Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills departments.

Carl Hawkins, who was sworn in as a Clarendon Hills officer in September and recently finished police academy training at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy in Glen Ellyn, notified Clarendon Hills Police Chief Ted Jenkins Jan. 18 that he was accepting a job in Elmhurst.

“He was six to seven weeks from being on his own with us,” Jenkins said. “He was upset by the possible consolidation and decided to take the offer in Elmhurst. I can’t blame him for looking out for himself.”

The possible consolidation is the merger of police departments in Clarendon Hills and Hinsdale, an idea being seriously studied and discussed. Officials from Clarendon Hills and Hinsdale publicly announced Oct. 27 that they were in discussions about a possible merger.

“Elmhurst called him once before a while back, but he told them he was happy in Clarendon Hills and wanted to stay here,” Jenkins said. “It actually could be a very good situation for a new officer if there is eventually a consolidation, but there are no guarantees about anything, and I think he was concerned about his job security here if we end up consolidating.”

Jenkins said Clarendon Hills now must go back to its eligibility list and again go through the process of interviewing, hiring and training a new officer. The Elmhurst department will reimburse Clarendon Hills for the cost of Hawkins’ training and uniforms, Jenkins said.

The process for hiring a new officer in Clarendon Hills started last June when the department began accepting applications for the position, which has a starting annual salary of $56,000.

Jenkins said there were 150 requests for applications. Of those requests, 87 were returned in completed form by a June 29 deadline date.

The need to hire a new officer came when veteran officer Daniel Ryan resigned April 22, 2011, prior to being charged with stealing guns from the department’s evidence room.

Ryan’s departure left Clarendon Hills with eight patrol officers. By statute, the department may have up to 10 patrol officers; however, it currently is budgeted for nine. Officer Roger Medrano resigned his position in 2010 to work for the military full-time, Jenkins said. Medrano was not replaced.