A 28-year Elgin police officer was put on administrative leave after posting a message about immigration enforcement in Elgin on his personal Facebook page, Police Chief Ana Lalley said Thursday.
Officer Jason Lentz’s page is no longer available online but it featured an “I Stand With ICE” emblem next to his name when he posted this on Oct. 5:
“If I were from ICE, I wouldn’t check La Movida at 840 N State St in Elgin looking for undocumented. There is definitely none there! Also wouldn’t check the flea market where the Milk Pail used to be at 14N630 Rt 25 in West Dundee; no way they’d find anyone there. And I wouldn’t check out The Elgin Mall in East Dundee, located at 535 Dundee Ave — I guarantee there’s no undocumented there either!”
He included links to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol with the message.
It is the second time Lentz has been linked to a questionable social media post. The first was in 2014 when he wrote, ““Hmmm…innocent victim my ass. Did society a favor,” in reference to an unarmed Black man who was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, triggering riots and civil unrest.
He was suspended and later fired for that post, but later reinstated following a ruling by an arbitrator.
Lalley said an investigation into the most recent incident is being conducted by an independent investigator.
“As emotions and concerns may be high for some regarding this matter, I want to reassure the community that our commitment to you remains steadfast — to serve and protect everyone’s rights, to ensure a safe community, and remain committed to the highest standards of professionalism,” Lalley said in a statement posted on the police department’s Facebook page.
“I want to state unequivocally that the department remains dedicated to our core values and mission that include working with our community to continue to build lasting and meaningful relationships that are based in respect, understanding, accountability and trust. These values have not, and will not, change.”
Lentz’s post was particularly of interest to some Facebook users who noted that Elgin, with its large Hispanic population, has been the recent target of federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Elgin City Councilman Anthony Ortiz said Friday that he was “upset” when he learned of Lentz’s post.
“I know most of our police department does not have the same sentiment he does,” Ortiz said. “I also believe our police chief and city manager will make the correct disciplinary decision.”
He added that he didn’t think there would be a repeat of what happened following Lentz’s 2014 post.
“Last time this happened, the police chief and city manager terminated this officer,” Oritz said. “The arbitrator made the city hire him back. But I believe this time if the city terminates him, he won’t get his job back,” he said.
He also stressed that the community shuld be aware that “EPD and the city does not work with ICE,” he said.
Lally provided no information as to whether Lentz was suspended with pay or what policy he violated.
However, the Illinois Trust Act prohibits local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on civil immigration enforcement unless there is a federal criminal warrant.
When Lentz came under scrutiny in 2014 for his post about the Ferguson incident, he was called out by a high-ranking officer and changed the message to read just, “Hmmm.” But he later lost his job when officials ruled that the post undermined the city’s credibility and violated the police department’s social media guidelines.
However, an arbitrator later ruled Lentz shouldn’t have been fired and said a six-month suspension was a more appropriate response to what happened. The police department was required to reinstate him with back pay, full seniority and all benefits provided under his contract.
Despite that interruption in his service, Lentz has also been cited for his positive actions, being named Officer of the 1st Quarter in 2024 and lauded for previous actions, including a 2017 incident in which he helped save an elderly dementia patient who was choking.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
