Commissioners roll back education requirement change in police chief search

Published 1:16 pm Monday, August 10, 2026

QUINCY — The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners met Monday morning for the regular monthly meeting, coming together in the Quincy City Council chambers due to the large turnout of representatives of the Quincy Police Department (QPD).

The strong QPD presence was driven by a change the commission made just three weeks ago regarding the requirements of applicants to be the next chief of police following Adam Yates’ retirement.

At the July 21 meeting, just one day after Yates stepped down as chief, the commission held a special meeting where a change was implemented to require internal candidates for chief to hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, as well as a requirement to have at least three years in a leadership position in the department.

More than half a dozen members of the QPD ranks took to the podium to express their concerns that these requirements would exclude the vast majority of the department, including veteran officers with decades of experience.

Several speakers noted that, if the new requirements had been in place at the time, Yates himself would not have been eligible when he was named chief around four years ago.

Commissioners were also told that the leadership position requirements were restrictive because those positions are limited and only occasionally come open, meaning even officers that would want to gain that experience may not have the opportunity very often.

The Police Benevolent and Protective Association (PBPA) Labor Unit #12, the union representing most of the QPD ranks, has education incentives built into the union contracts, with reimbursements available for officers seeking higher degrees and additional “points” for holding degrees when applying for promotions.

Under the new business portion of Monday’s agenda, commissioners had listed a review of the requirements for chief. After hearing from the QPD representatives, Commissioner Mike McLaughlin and Chair Curt Kelty voted to amend the requirements for the application process. Commissioner Angela Caldwell, in her last meeting before stepping down, abstained from the vote.

The approved changes removed the bachelor’s degree requirement, including adding a preference for candidates to have at least an associate’s degree. The working for the experience portion was also changed to a preference for at least three years in a supervisory position, which could extend to positions like patrol sergeants.

The commission also laid out the current timeline for the search to find the next chief of the department. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police will begin advertising for the position later this week to invite outside candidates. Kelty said the hope is to receive around 15 to 25 qualifying applicants by the Sept. 12 cutoff for a resume review that will lead to around a dozen semifinalists being sent questionnaires from the commission.

Those questionnaires will be due back by Oct. 8, with a selection of four to seven finalists being further narrowed down to two to four candidates being selected for the all-day assessments currently planned for Nov. 10.

Following Yates’ last day, the commission appointed Deputy Chief of Operations Michael Tyler as interim chief to head the department through the search process.

Commissioners also heard updates on staffing for both QPD and the Quincy Fire Department (QFD). Tyler told the board that one new officer will be sworn in on Aug. 24, bringing the department up to full budgeted strength until the new chief is selected.

Tyler noted if an outside candidate is selected, that will maintain the department at full strength due to the new hire, whereas if an internal candidate is selected, that would open an additional position within the department.

On the QFD side, Chief Steve Salrin said he has been working to find the right candidate to replace Mike Dade as the department’s deputy chief of administration. Dade took a new position with the state’s fire marshal’s office, leaving a gap in the leadership.

The decision on naming Dade’s replacement, originally scheduled for this meeting, was tabled until the September commission meeting.

Salrin said there are a few expected departures from the department in the coming months, with testing for new recruits scheduled for September.

Salrin also told the commissioners he has been working with Architechnics of Quincy on repairs for the tower at the department’s Central Fire Station.