Police chief supports deputy chief after official reprimand; union files complaint, issues vote of no confidence

QUINCY — Adam Yates, chief of the Quincy Police Department, made a statement on Friday in support of Deputy Chief Michael Tyler after officially reprimanding him earlier this week for an incident involving two other officers that happened on Feb. 11.

A complaint against Tyler, named a deputy chief in September 2022, was filed by Patrick Hollensteiner, an investigator with the Quincy Police Department and president of the Police Benevolent and Protective Association Labor Unit 12. The union also voted in April to issue a vote of no confidence in Tyler last month.

In the May 12 written reprimand from Yates, he said the complaint regarding an internal affairs investigation between two Quincy Police Department officers and Tyler alleged bullying, an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action violation, battery and retaliation (according to the Illinois Compiled Statutes) and a violation of Weingarten rights, which guarantee an employee the right to union representation during an investigatory interview. 

The independent investigation, conducted by former Adams County State’s Attorney Barney Bier, concluded Tyler was guilty of conduct unbecoming of a police officer and harassment of fellow employees. 

Yates said he took into consideration Tyler’s more than 25 years of service — 2½ years as deputy chief of operations, two letters of commendation, two supervisor recognitions, one letter of appreciation, eight Employee of the Month awards and no previous instances of disciplinary action — when issuing his written reprimand. He also said Tyler must complete a minimum four-hour block of emotional intelligence training within six months.

“All other allegations against you were determined by (Bier) to be without merit,” Yates wrote.

“I have complete confidence in Mike’s ability to fulfill the duties of deputy chief of operations for the Quincy Police Department,” Yates said in a written statement issued by his office on Friday. “Mike is a valued member of the Quincy Police Department team and has been key to the success we have had over the past three years. Mike is committed to improving and will continue to serve the Quincy Police Department and the citizens of Quincy as deputy chief.”

Asked Friday night about the status of the union complaint, Yates said, “As far as the internal review, the investigation is complete. The discipline has been handed down, and the matter is over, as far as I’m concerned.”

Hollensteiner said Friday night he plans to speak with the members of the union’s executive board on Monday.

“Then we’re going to decide how we want to approach it the situation,” he said. “Obviously, we’re aware of ongoing situation down there at the (police) department. We were unaware that it was going to be brought to the media’s attention, so we were caught by surprise today. We’re just going to meet on Monday and see how we want to discuss it and what we want to disclose to the media.”

Yates said Tyler met with the two officers, whose names were redacted in a copy of the reprimand provided to the media, at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 11 in Tyler’s office at the police department. One officer wanted the other officer to be present as a witness, but Tyler said the second officer was not invited to the meeting. The encounter allegedly lasted less than a minute.

Yates said Bier determined in his investigation that Tyler admitted before conducting an interview with one of the two officers on Feb. 11 that he said, “When you’re man enough to talk to me one on one, come see me” or “Come talk to me when you’re man enough.”

Tyler emailed an apology to members of the police department on Tuesday. He made that statement available to the media on Friday.

“While in an intense moment, I overreacted and said something that obviously upset some of our involved officers and civilian staff who were near my office,” Tyler wrote. “I realized this immediately after this incident took place that I should have done more to control my emotions and temper to de-escalate the situation.

“… I decided to release this reprimand to be totally transparent with you to show you that we do expect accountability at all levels of the police department. Yes, even deputy chiefs make mistakes, too. We are all human, and when we do, we should be held accountable.”

Tyler said Yates has implemented strict requirements regarding officers being called to the police station to speak with a supervisor. He said the officers are to be advised as to what the meeting is regarding, “good or bad,” before they come in.

“The hope is this enhanced communication will lower anxiety for officers who are getting called in to talk to a supervisor,” Tyler wrote. “Looking back, had I communicated more effectively and identified why I was calling the officer in to meet with me, perhaps the events of Feb. 11 would not have occurred.”

Tyler signed his apology, “Thank you and I’m sorry.”

“As police leaders, we are often faced with difficult and frustrating situations, both internally and externally, to the agency,” Yates wrote in his reprimand. “We are responsible to do our best to remain calm, be professional and treat all with whom we interact with fairness and respect. You acknowledged immediately after this incident, as well as to Mr. Bier during the investigation, that you could have handled this situation better.

“Your taking responsibility for your actions shows you recognized this misstep and will work to ensure something like this will not occur.”