A veteran Elgin police officer has been placed on administrative leave after posting a message about immigration enforcement in Elgin on his personal Facebook page, Police Chief Anna Lally said Thursday.
Officer Jason Lentz’s page is no longer available online but it featured the slogan “I stand with ICE” next to his name when he posted this on October 5:
“If I were ICE, I wouldn’t check La Movida at 840 N State St in Elgin for undocumented people. There’s definitely nothing there! And I wouldn’t check the flea market where Milk Pail was at 14N630 Rt 25 in West Dundee; there’s no way they’ll find anyone there. And I wouldn’t check Elgin Mall in East Dundee, located at 535 Dundee Ave – I guarantee there’s nothing undocumented there either!
He included links to the Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Patrol with the message.
This is the second time Lentz has been linked to a questionable social media post. The first was in 2014 when he wrote: “Hmm…innocent victim in my ass.” “Do community service,” referring to an unarmed black man who was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparking riots and civil unrest.
He was later suspended and fired for the position, but was later reinstated after an arbitrator’s ruling.
Lali said the investigation into the latest incident was being conducted by an independent investigator.
“As emotions and concerns may be running high for some regarding this matter, I want to reassure the community that our commitment to you remains steadfast – to serve and protect the rights of all, to ensure a safe community, and to remain committed to the highest standards of professionalism,” Lally said in a statement. Posted on the Police Directorate’s Facebook page.
“I want to state unequivocally that the Department remains committed to our core values and mission which includes working with our community to continue building lasting and meaningful relationships based on respect, understanding, accountability and trust. These values have not and will not change.”
Lentz’s post was of particular interest to some Facebook users, who pointed out that Elgin, with its large Hispanic population, has been the recent target of federal immigration enforcement efforts.
Lally did not provide any information about whether Lentz has been 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 in enforcing civil immigration laws unless there is a federal criminal warrant.
When Lentz came under scrutiny in 2014 for his post about the Ferguson incident, he was summoned by a high-ranking officer and changed the message to just “hmmm.” But he later lost his job when officials decided the post undermined the city’s credibility and violated the police department’s social media guidelines.
However, an arbitrator later ruled that Lentz should not have been fired, and said that a six-month suspension was the most appropriate response to what happened. The police department was asked to reinstate him with back pay, full seniority and all benefits provided under his contract.
Despite this break in his service, Lentz was also cited for his positive actions, as he was named officer of the first quarter in 2024 and was praised for his past actions, including a 2017 incident in which he helped save an elderly patient with dementia who was choking.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.