Back to full strength; Spring Valley Police promotes deputy chief, welcomes new officers

The Spring Valley Police Department has received reinforcements as the city welcomed three officers and promoted one of its own to the position of deputy police chief during Monday’s City Council meeting.

“Over the course of the last year and a half this department has seen a significant turnover of personnel caused by retirements and a resignation,” said Spring Valley Police Chief Adam Curran.

Curran said collective teamwork covered shifts while the department looked to fill these positions.

“It was definitely a daunting task for a while there,” Curran said. “I was picking up a lot of shifts on the road to help out and those guys were picking up a lot of overtime. It’s a relief now to finally get back to full staff.”

Spring Valley’s Police Department’s own Sarah Kinkin was promoted to the position of deputy chief, making her the first woman to hold the position.

Kinkin was promoted to sergeant a little more than a year ago where her responsibilities expanded to include restructuring and reorganizing the city’s evidence and records vaults and helping the transition to a new electronic accident reporting.

“Over the course of the last year, (Kinkin) has demonstrated many qualities of a prospective leader and administrator,” Curran said.

Curran added Kinkin’s intangibles as an officer and investigator have been on display since she began in the department.

“Her drive and determination to investigate cases to the very last detail are admirable and exemplary,” Curran said. “She has consistently been an instrumental part of the department’s high profile cases and has developed a tremendous amount of experience.”

Aside from Kinkin, Curran introduced officers Zane Behrens, Ryan Lutes and Jared Sadnick to the council. All officers went through a field training program with the department before being assigned to a patrol on their own.

Behrens was hired in April 2021 and is a graduate of Illinois Valley Community College. Prior to joining Spring Valley, Behrens worked at the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office as a correctional guard.

Behrens was sent to the University of Illinois Police training institute to complete 14 weeks of training to become a certified police officer in Illinois.

Curran said the department has observed not only his patrol and enforcement abilities but also his community relations abilities.

“An example of his community relations was one where he stopped and played football at Kirby Park with some teenage kids,” Curran said. “He stopped for no other reason than to talk to the kids and throw the football around. For a new officer to have the awareness that community relations are just as important as the enforcement part of the job, tells me all I need to know about Officer Behrens.”

Lutes was hired in August 2021 and served as a first responder with the La Salle Fire Department. He also was an active member in the army reserves and completed a year-long deployment to Saudi Arabia from 2019-20.

Lutes completed his police officer training at Southwest Illinois College.

“Since his return from police training, Lutes has shown his willingness to learn and help in any facet,” Curran said. “He consistently volunteers when I am looking for someone to take on a task and he is eager to make an impact on the community and within the police department.”

Sadnick was hired during the past week, but has been working part-time for the department since September 2021. He is a graduate of IVCC.

Prior to working for the department, Sadnick worked at the Illinois Department of Corrections as a correctional guard and a patrol officer for the La Salle Police Department.

“He has always been available at a moment’s notice when we needed a shift filled,” Curran said. “Officer Sadnick has shown his willingness to be involved in the community by working the dances at Hall High School and interacting with the students on an informal level.”