A top officer in Bloomington's police department has submitted his retirement.
Paul Williams filed retirement paperwork Tuesday after decades with the department. A City of Bloomington spokesperson confirmed his retirement will be effective Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The announcement comes amid an internal investigation and federal lawsuit into Williams' alleged conduct earlier this year. He was on administrative leave prior to filing for retirement.
The lawsuit alleges Williams violated the rights of two Bloomington DoorDash drivers during a June traffic stop. Williams is accused of ordering the arrest of two people without probable cause after pulling them over while off-duty and seizing their phones.
The City of Bloomington is a co-defendant.
The plaintiffs' attorney, Jared Kosoglad of Chicago, said Williams' retirement does not absolve him from the lawsuit, on which he is named as an individual.
Kosoglad said in the wake of the lawsuit being reported by the media, he's received many phone calls implicating Williams and others within the Bloomington Police Department.
"The volume of calls by citizens who have had their rights violated by the Bloomington Police Department is astonishing," he said in a phone call with WGLT. "In 20 years of practicing law, I've never had that level of interest [in a case]."
WGLT has reached out to Williams for comment at his city email address. It's unclear if he has an attorney or other representative.
Williams has served on the Bloomington police force since 1987 and was active in the police union, serving as president as one time. He was promoted to lieutenant following a long labor dispute with the city.
According to a 2004 complaint filed with the Illinois Labor Relations Board, Williams was eligible for promotion from sergeant to lieutenant in 2003. He alleged he was unfairly bypassed for lieutenant because of his union activity.
In ILRB filings, then-Police Chief Roger Aikin said Williams was passed over, in part, because Williams had refused to become head of the vice unit, made a request that a secretary change the minutes of a staff meeting, overspent on binders for investigative documents and made remarks that Aikin "would be 'gutted' at a union meeting."
The board determined the city was "motivated by union animus," and in 2010, the union filed a motion to recoup attorney fees and other costs accrued in the case, and won.
Williams was promoted to assistant chief between 2021 and 2022, according to City of Bloomington compensation reports.
Officers are eligible for retirement after 20 years of service. They may begin collecting their pensions at age 50 or 55, depending on when they were hired.
The City of Bloomington previously said an internal investigation was underway prior to the lawsuit being filed. On Tuesday, City Manager Jeff Jurgens said an employee's retirement "does not necessarily determine the city's review of a matter. The city is evaluating the state of this matter and any appropriate next steps."
Jurgens declined to comment further, including providing confirmation of the status of the internal investigation, citing pending litigation.
Illinois law states agencies are required to notify the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board [ILETSB], which Williams once served on, within 10 days when an officer resigns or retires during the course of an investigation and the officer has been served notice that the officer is under investigation.
Williams' six-year term on the ILETSB concluded in 2020, according to a news release from the Police Benevolent and Protective Association of Illinois [the statewide police union]. During that time, he served as chair of the Curriculum and School Standards Advisory Committee, according to meeting minutes.
