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Sean Grayson wasn’t the only Sangamon County deputy hired with a DUI on his record

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Illinois

* Here’s some background if you need it. Beth Hundsdorfer for Capitol News Illinois…

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell came under fire for his hiring practices after he employed a deputy with two DUI convictions, who is now accused of the murder of an unarmed black woman in her kitchen. But it wasn’t the first time he chose to hire someone accused of drunk driving and repeated misconduct.

In April, Campbell hired 23-year-old Luke Hildebrand, who only weeks before had pleaded guilty to driving under the influence after a single car crash that left Hildebrand injured and trapped. An investigation would reveal there was a loaded Glock pistol inside the crashed pickup and that hours later his blood alcohol level still registered at 0.284 – more than three times the legal limit.

Hildebrand, who did not respond to a request for an interview, was considered a “lateral hire,” meaning that because he was already a working police officer for Sherman Police Department his employment was not reviewed by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Merit Commission. The commission is a three-member board whose members are recommended by the sheriff and approved by the county board. […]

Capitol News Illinois obtained Hildebrand’s personnel file from the Sherman Police Department under the Freedom of Information Act, which included multiple examples of misconduct.

The background check should have uncovered that while working at Sherman, Hildebrand failed to show up for assignments, was repeatedly late for work, wrote incomplete reports, scored poorly during his police training, skipped curfew at the police academy then went drinking at a Metro East strip club, and fired his department-issued Taser at a friend’s birthday party, according to Hildebrand’s Sherman Police Department personnel file.

Go read the rest.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 7:59 am

Comments

Dollars to donuts, Hildebrand is related to some Sangamon County muckety-muck.

Unfortunately, law enforcement is rife with these hires. Many of which often get promotions over much more deserving officers.

Comment by Flyin'Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:11 am
I believe this is called “Pass the Trash.”

Kinda like how The Church handled abusive priests.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:17 am
Timoney, the Sangamon County merit board member, said he expects the county to make changes to its hiring process once a commission looking into the Massey shooting makes recommendations.

…

Last month, a judge dismissed it. Timoney, the Sangamon County merit board member, also represented Hildebrand in his DUI case. He said it was a paperwork issue and Hildebrand had fulfilled the requirements of the plea.

—

Anybody remember the old line about the fox guarding the henhouse?

Comment by Chambananon Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:25 am
Trying to understand why you’d bring people into your department with these kinds of issues on their record… even if it helps a friend out. The judgment is incredibly bad, and it’s clear that it happened multiple times.

Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:29 am
Wondering if Hildebrand was related to the screwball who ran space needs commission. Might have the grease to help him slide through troubles.

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:36 am
From the article:

“Hildebrand pleaded guilty to DUI in Sangamon County Circuit Court on Sept. 22, 2023, in exchange for a sentence of court supervision.

“Usually, a DUI conviction triggers a yearlong suspension of driving privileges, but that was not the case for Hildebrand.”

Court supervision is not a conviction, which is why he didn’t lose his license. Accuracy would be nice.

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:48 am
Googling the guy brings up this award from the Sherman police for helping when a tree fell on some folks in 2022. https://www.shermanil.org/Government/police-department/awards-_-recognition/

Imagine a world where the police department made officers’ disciplinary record as public as their awards.

Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 8:50 am
According to the Sangamon County website, the Merit Commission has five members.

https://sangamonil.gov/departments/a-c/county-board/boards-and-commissions/boards-and-commissions-members

Comment by Anyone Remember Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:07 am
Yellow Dog Democrat - exactly.

Comment by Former GOPer Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:11 am
“why you’d bring people into your department with these kinds of issues on their record”

Because that’s how it’s always been done?

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:14 am
=== Court supervision is not a conviction, which is why he didn’t lose his license. Accuracy would be nice. ===

Indeed. Would be good for the reporter to research and understand the law before reporting on it. If court supervision is successfully completed, the driver avoids conviction.

Comment by Bud's Bar Stool Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:16 am
What is most depressing about this, is how local news has been hollowed out so badly these types of situations only even start being looked at after a terrible and in hindsight completely predictable event has happened.

If agencies had the fear of someone looking over their actions, perhaps these types of events could be avoided in the first place. The de facto situation should be a sheriff or merit board always having the thought in the back of their head - what would happen if all the details of this situation were made public, including my part in it.

The arrogance displayed in these actions as they eventually become public shows it isn’t even a passing thought.

Pick a county in Illinois, and start digging. I’d wager a months of my financial gains the vast majority of them would have similar situations taking place, but never reported.

The silver lining is that AI is going to make analyzing these piles of data more efficient. All you will have to do is dump a pile of boring paperwork into it and direct it to identify a named situation and frequency. AI has the potential to absolutely upend entrenched local politics, once it gets applied to those places.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:36 am
If you think he was arrested for a DUI because he was 3.5x the legal limit, note that he was trapped inside the vehicle.

Once you notice that police officers only seem to get DUIs when there is an unignorable accident or when they are vacationing out of home jurisdiction, you’ll never stop noticing.

Just another way police accountability is ultimately left up to police, with predictable effects.

Comment by Stephanie Kollmann Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:50 am
Sangamon County deserves all the scrutiny it’s getting right now, but let’s not kid ourselves that this is anything other than business as usual throughout law enforcement institutions everywhere. When the only thing elected officials from both parties seem to agree on is that we should “fund the police,” the odds that anything will ever change for the better seem depressingly slim.

Comment by charles in charge Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 9:55 am
“Indeed. Would be good for the reporter to research and understand the law before reporting on it. If court supervision is successfully completed, the driver avoids conviction.

BBS - Court supervision doesn’t avoid conviction, just the way it is recorded and whether or not it is available on the driver’s public or court abstract/driving record. Last I knew being granted court supervision requires a guilty plea or at least that is what was required of the drunk driver that hit my daughter and me.

Comment by DUI Victim Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 10:00 am
=Go read the rest.=

Sorry, I am going to pass as I just ate.

= Court supervision is not a conviction, which is why he didn’t lose his license. Accuracy would be nice.=

IIRC a dui arrest used to trigger an immediate license suspension until court. I may be mistaken anyone that knows feel free to correct me.

3x the legal limit, had to be extracted from the vehicle after a crash. Loaded gun in the car (as a cop of CCL this is legal, but he was drunk so a really bad idea). But he got supervision. Welcome to small town corruption/special treatment for law breaking cops.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 10:01 am
Can’t help but note one of the shocking stories in Isabel’s news roundup this morning, “Illinois state police officer, wife charged in Edwardsville child abuse case.”

It’s not just criminals that need psychological profiling, but police officers and those who aspire to be them.

Comment by Moe Berg Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 10:06 am
Also note: 3.5x the legal limit after they let him sober up for a few hours.

Comment by Stephanie Kollmann Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 10:09 am
Policing in a nutshell: “There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”

Comment by Google Is Your Friend Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 10:11 am
==3x the legal limit, had to be extracted from the vehicle after a crash. Loaded gun in the car (as a cop of CCL this is legal, but he was drunk so a really bad idea).==

Nope. Carrying while intoxicated is a crime.

1st 2nd Offense- Cl. A misdemeanor-Discretionary 6 month suspension for 2nd violation;

3rd + Cl. 4 felony; lifetime revocation.

Comment by Nope. Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 10:16 am
…still not loving police….

Comment by Dr. Dre Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 11:20 am
=Nope. Carrying while intoxicated is a crime.=
Thank you for the correction.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 11:37 am
Maybe if LEOs had to be self insured, hiring standards could go up and bad apples filtered out by increasing premiums.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 11:45 am
Just apply the law to cops the same way its applied to everyone else…that’ll do.

Comment by Dotnonymous x Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 11:52 am
There needs to be a complete audit of officer hires…the public has a right to know…about dangerous incompetent individuals posing as police.

Comment by Dotnonymous x Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 11:54 am
===IIRC a dui arrest used to trigger an immediate license suspension until court. I may be mistaken anyone that knows feel free to correct me.

Reading the story, Hildebrand didn’t receive the standard administrative suspension because the Trooper made a mistake (a relatively new Trooper). So he avoided the consequences that most people would have faced due to the mistake in processing. This also is likely why he received a light sentence along with being a cop.

A .284 BAC is over the .16 where it becomes more serious as well as having an accident this dude is lucky he didn’t get some jail time. Given the rest of his history with going to a strip club after curfew and discharging his taser at a birthday party he shouldn’t be an officer. Those two incidents are likely alcohol related too.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 12:50 pm
Normally, personnel files are not subject to FOIA requests. Sherman P.D. will likely get sued by Hildebrand, and also will be used to claim a need for change of venue for his murder trial. I would be surprised they are so incompetent, but they have to have been incompetent to have hired Hildebrand to begin with.

Comment by Dupage Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 2:02 pm
===Normally, personnel files are not subject to FOIA requests

No, they just have to notify Hildebrand and limit discipline to the last four years which at 23 is his career to date. Also, Grayson was the man who killed a woman.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 3:24 pm
I stand corrected.

Comment by Dupage Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 4:13 pm
“Maybe if LEOs had to be self insured … .”

Never happen. Would be opposed by the Ike Clanton crowd (concealed and/or open carry) for fear if it worked, they’d be next.

Comment by Anyone Remember Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 4:45 pm
===I stand corrected.

Not an every day thing–I happened to have to look it up for something recently.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Oct 1, 24 @ 7:13 pm