3 Salary Hikes For Joliet's New Police Chief In 10 Months

JOLIET, IL — Bill Evans took over the Joliet Police Department March 1, 2022, and in the span of 10 months, the new chief of police received three salary increases from now-departed City Manager Jim Capparelli, Joliet Patch has learned. The three salary hikes increased Evans' salary by $23,110, a margin of 14.3 percent.

Two months into the new job, Capparelli increased Evans' salary to $164,618, a pay raise of $3,228. By mid-November, Evans received a salary hike of another $15,382, bringing his new salary to $180,000. The $180,000 salary only lasted about six weeks.

On New Year's Day, Capparelli upped his pay by another $4,500. This year, as Joliet chief, Evans makes an annual salary of $184,500 in addition to collecting his Cook County Sheriff's pension. In October 2016, Evans retired from the Cook County Sheriff's Office, and he also draws a pension of $67,469, according to the Illinois Answers Project public pension database.

On Wednesday, Joliet Patch reached out to Joliet's second year chief of police for comment about his salary increases.

"I think the fact that a level of stability brought forth by this administration speaks for itself," Evans explained. "In my tenure here at the Joliet Police Department, my command staff and I have worked tirelessly to improve this agency."

The following are brief examples that Evans cited:

• Outfitted the entire department with BWC (body worn cameras) in a very short period of time.
• Extended the FLOCK Safety camera program several times, adding more cameras throughout the city.
• Hired several dozen new police officers and established a lateral transfer list.
• Worked with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to modify and amend several policies and procedures to meet various national standards.
• Improved training and equipment, at times utilizing grant funding, to improve performance and operations.
• More than doubled the size of the department’s tactical unit, which has recovered and seized over 45 firearms off the streets of Joliet since April.
• Lowered the overall shootings and Aggravated Batteries city-wide.
• Solved homicides at a higher clearance rate than the national average.
• Outfitted the Special Operations Section with new and improved state-of-the-art equipment.
• Outfitted the entire department with new Motorola radios, replacing the (10) year old radio that was previously in service.
• Established a wellness program for the officers and an early warning detection system.

"These items are just a few improvements made here at the JPD within the last 18-months," Evans noted.

Evans is Joliet's first chief who was hired from outside the police department since the 1990s.

He took over the agency after the department experienced morale problems and turmoil during the tenure of Brian Benton, followed by Al Roechner and finally, Dawn Malec.

"The $3,228 raise I received in May (2022) was a cost of living raise that all department heads received," Evans wrote Joliet Patch on Wednesday. "The raise I received in November was ordinance driven. Per the ordinance, I am entitled to receive a salary of approximately 17 percent higher than the next highest paid employee under me. In this case, it is the deputy chiefs."

According to Joliet's 2022 compensation report posted on the city's website, three of Evans' four deputy chiefs made in excess of $200,000 last year. The city listed Deputy Police Chief Carlos Matlock as making a total of $257,987.

According to the city, Matlock received a payout of $67,505 for unused vacation hours plus another $15,463 for a retroactive salary increase. As for deputy police chief Robert "Rob" Brown, he made $234,873 in 2022. According to Joliet, Brown received a payout of $42,671 for unused vacation hours plus another $16,299 as a retroactive salary increase.

In the case of deputy chief Sherrie Blackburn, she made $219,824.

According to the city, Blackburn received a payout of $21,640 for unused vacation in 2022, plus a retroactive salary increase of $15,819, a vehicle allowance of $2,487 and a payment of $5,200 for opting out of Joliet's insurance program.

As for the newest deputy chief, Christopher Botzum, Joliet had his total compensation at $176,055 for 2022.

According to Botzum's salary history, he became deputy police chief of technical services on Jan. 27, 2022 with a salary of $153,817.

He then received three separate pay raises within a year.

After less than four months as a new deputy chief, Botzum's salary was increased by $3,076 to $156,893 on May 6, 2022. Three weeks later, on May 27, 2022, Botzum's salary increased to $169,843, a pay hike of $12,950.

Then, seven months and a few days later, Botzum's salary climbed by $4,246 this past January. Botzum now makes $174,089.

Botzum's three salary increases in less than one year, totaling $20,272, boosted his deputy chief's salary by more than 13 percent, Joliet Patch found.

During Capparelli's final full year as city manager, he gave identical raises to Joliet's three other deputy chiefs of police. Incidentally, all four of Joliet's deputy chiefs receive identical salaries, even though their job duties and responsibilities differ.

The following is the salary breakdown for Joliet's police chief and four deputy chiefs:

Bill Evans, chief of police, Joliet Police Department

Hired as Joliet police chief on March 1, 2022, starting salary $161,390.

First salary increase May 6, 2022, $3,227: new salary $164,617.

Second salary increase Nov. 18, 2022 by $15,382: new salary $180,000.

Third salary increase Jan. 1, 2023, by $4,500: current salary $184,500.

Total pay hike during Evans' first year as chief: $23,110, a pay increase of 14.3 percent.

Carlos Matlock, deputy chief of criminal investigations.

Promoted to Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations on Jan. 15, 2021 with a starting salary of $153,817.

First salary increase of $6,214 on May 6, 2022, new salary $160,031. Second salary increase of $9,811 on May 27, 2022, new salary $169,842. Third salary increase of $4,246 on Jan. 1, 2023, current salary at $174,088.

Total salary increases during first two years, $20,271, a salary hike of 13.1 percent.

Sherrie Blackburn

Promoted to Deputy Chief of Administration on Jan. 15, 2021 with a starting salary of $153,817.

First salary increase of $6,214 on May 6, 2022, new salary $160,031. Second salary increase of $9,811 on May 27, 2022, new salary $169,842. Third salary increase of $4,246 on Jan. 1, 2023, current salary at $174,088.

Total salary increases during first two years, $20,271, a salary hike of 13.1 percent.

Robert Brown

Promoted to Deputy Chief of Police Operations on Jan. 15, 2021 with a starting salary of $153,817. Following Dawn Malec's removal as chief by Capparelli, Brown was appointed interim police chief. In that role, Brown made $161,390 from Oct. 6, 2021 through Feb. 28, 2022. When Evans started as the permanent chief, Brown returned to his deputy chief of operations salary of $153,817.

First raise as deputy chief: $6,214 on May 6, 2022, new salary $160,031. Second raise as deputy chief: $9,812 on May 27, 2022, new salary $169,843. Third salary increase of $4,246 on Jan. 1, 2023, current salary at $174,089.

Total salary increases during first two years, $20,272, a salary hike of 13.1 percent.

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