A Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy and the union representing deputies have challenged the naming of former undersheriff Jack Campbell to the position of lieutenant within the department.
Two grievances, one from Sangamon County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 55, the other from deputy Travis Koester, were filed last month shortly after new sheriff Wes Barr was sworn in. Both have been denied by the department and a hearing officer for the county board.
It’s unclear whether the grievants will appeal the decision to an arbitrator, but the case has the potential to leave Campbell without a job should an arbitrator or court agree that he is not eligible to hold a merit position within the department.
The grievances rekindle an issue that has simmered since Campbell ran against Barr in the Republican primary election last spring. As a candidate, Barr had questioned whether Campbell could run for sheriff without resigning from the department pursuant to a merit commission rule that doesn’t allow deputies to run for the top job.
Campbell during the campaign said that several attorneys reviewed the matter and determined that he could run for sheriff while still on the department payroll. Koester and the union now say that Campbell is occupying a newly created position that should be filled by someone else.
“Campbell didn’t take a leave of absence while running for sheriff and used the SCSO for political gain/endorsement,” Koester wrote in his grievance. “He is occupying a rank position which is a new job classification and could be filled by existing merit deputies, sergeants and lieutenants.”
In a written decision rejecting the grievances, Bruce Stratton, a county board hearing officer, agreed that merit commission rules bar sheriff’s employees from running for sheriff, but also wrote that state law says that local governments cannot enact rules that inhibit or prohibit employees from exercising political rights. State law supersedes local laws and rules, Stratton determined, and so he rejected the grievances.
Campbell says that he’s not worried, although he acknowledged that the department’s denial of the two grievances could be appealed and ultimately overturned.
“I know that the possibility exists that it (the grievance denials) could be appealed,” Campbell said. “I’ll have to wait and see what position the FOP is going to take. … I did have this issue researched (prior to the election), planning for the worst-case scenario to ensure my future here at the sheriff’s office. I was informed that there would be no problem returning to the bargaining unit if the campaign was not successful.”
Campbell, who supervises detectives as a lieutenant in the department’s investigations division, said there hasn’t been any friction in the workplace despite grievances alleging that he shouldn’t be in his position.
“I’ve been well received and have a lot of internal support,” Campbell said.
Campbell said that he hasn’t spoken with Barr about the grievances. The signature on the grievance bearing the union’s name isn’t clear, and union officials could not be reached for comment.
Koester has been the subject of several lawsuits, most alleging excessive force, and internal-affairs investigations. As the department’s former DUI officer, his credibility on the witness stand was questioned by two judges in DUI cases, and he received a reprimand in 2010 after admitting that he hadn’t told the truth on the stand in a drug case when he testified that he’d received a Crimestoppers tip about a suspected drug dealer. In fact, Koester’s information had come from someone he pulled over in a traffic stop.
“I was a little bit saddened by this issue,” Campbell said. “It was really a couple of individuals who brought this forth. I’m putting this behind me and moving forward in my new assignment.”
Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Dec 25-31, 2014.
