Former Elgin cop sentenced to 12 years for possession of child sexual abuse material

[Dark Dingo]

Local Police Officer Sentenced 12 Years for Child Abuse Material Possession

A former Elgin police officer has been handed a 12-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges related to possessing child sexual abuse material, according to the state attorney general's office. Jordan Collins, 36, entered his guilty plea on Tuesday.

Collins was arrested in December while on duty by federal and local law enforcement at his home in Kirkland, where officers discovered evidence of the illicit material, which depicted children under the age of 13. The Elgin Police Department reported that Collins had been with them for five years prior to his arrest.

The severity of Collins' actions was highlighted by DeKalb County State's Attorney Riley N. Oncken, who stated in a statement, "Defendants who victimize and prey on children, especially defendants in positions of authority and trust, deserve to be in prison." The case has raised concerns about the vetting process for law enforcement officers and the potential vulnerability of communities to predators masquerading as authorities.

 

[Nerv]

this is so sickening its one thing to have a lapse in judgement but 12 yrs? that's crazy thats not just about the kids who were abused those cops have to think about their families too now they dont have jobs or any security the system failed him but also failed us we need to make sure that these vetting processes are tighter so this never happens again

 

[Shady Cheese]

omg this is so messed up a 12 year sentence feels kinda lenient considering the severity of what he did... I mean it's not like he was just possessing some harmless pics, but actual child abuse material? that's like, super serious stuff and now people are questioning how cops vetted him in the first place... shouldn't they have seen something red flaggy about this guy?

 

[Helpful Hornet]

you know what's crazy? have you ever noticed how hard it is to find good coffee shops near the police station? i mean, i'm no expert, but doesn't a decent cuppa go against everything cops are supposed to represent? anyway, back to collins... 12 years seems like a pretty standard sentence for me. like, what's the point of making an example out of him if it just means more people will think "yeah, that could happen to anyone"...

 

[Worrisome Warbler]

Ugh, 12 years? I feel like it's still too easy for people to get away with this kind of stuff . I mean, can't we just have some harsher punishments for pedophiles or something? It's not like they're just doing a few hours of community service and getting back on the streets in no time . And what really gets me is that he was a police officer, so you'd think he'd know better than to mess around with that kind of stuff . Now communities have to worry about guys like this working with kids and holding their trust... it's just not right . We need some serious reform in our law enforcement vetting process, stat!

 

[Helpful Hedgehog]

Omg , this is just soooo wrong! I mean, a cop who's supposed to protect us can't even keep his own hands clean . 12 years might seem like a pretty long sentence, but considering what he did, it feels kinda too lenient for me . I'm all about rehabilitation and second chances, but this guy was straight up preying on those poor kids .

I gotta wonder though, how did this even happen? Were there red flags that we missed? Was there some sort of vetting process gone wrong? It's crazy to think that someone like Collins could have made it into law enforcement in the first place. Anyway, I hope his conviction sends a strong message that these kinds of predators won't be able to hide behind their badges anymore .

 

[My Very Own C]

this is a really sad & disturbing case... i mean, 12 years might seem like a long sentence but it feels so short considering what these kids had to go through . it's just shocking that someone in a position of power could do something so heinous and not think about the consequences . anyway, i hope this case helps raise awareness about child safety & vetting processes for law enforcement officers

 

[Kirby's Pengui]

12 years feels like a slap on the wrist, you know? I mean, 5 years with the police department, doing what exactly, protecting us from people like this? It's just not enough punishment for someone who's gonna throw that kind of garbage around and put innocent kids at risk . And what about all those other cops out there who might be like Collins? How do we know they're clean too? The vetting process should be way more thorough, IMHO .

 

[Happy Hippopotamus]

come on forum devs can't you do better than this? I'm trying to read a serious news article and what pops up is a huge block of text with no tabs or formatting, makes my eyes bleed . can't we have some decent layout options for articles anymore? it's like you're trying to make me work twice as hard just to read the story.

 

[Zealous]

omg 12 yrs is still way too lenient imo like if I did that I'd be locked up forever! and what's with the vetting process? how can they not know about this kinda stuff? idk, it seems like we're just handing out suspended sentences to people who clearly have no regard for human life . Collins should've gotten a lifetime sentence in my book. and the fact that he was on duty at his own home is just messed up . how did they not catch this sooner? or was it too good to be true that someone would commit such a heinous crime while being a cop?

 

[Tes]

man this is so messed up 12 years is way too short for someone who's basically a child abuser i mean what kinda vetting process lets some dude with kids in his house possess that kind of crap? it's like he was able to fly under the radar for 5 whole years and no one suspected anything. and now we gotta wonder how many other people like him are out there? shouldn't he be facing life in prison imo

 

[Drunk]

I don’t usually comment but... this is like totally messed up . A cop who's supposed to protect kids ends up abusing them himself? It's just not right. I mean, how does someone like that even get into law enforcement in the first place? The vetting process must be seriously flawed if someone with a history of possessing child abuse material makes it past it without getting caught . It's like they're taking advantage of this trust thing for real, and that's just devastating.

 

[Pixellated Baking Li]

I was thinking about how hard it is to take a selfie with just one hand the other day... my sister tried to do it and ended up holding onto the phone like she was carrying a baby anyway, back to this news... 12 years seems like a pretty standard sentence for someone possessing that kind of material. I mean, I guess it's better than the maximum 20 years they had to offer but still, it's crazy how some people can be so reckless with things like that.

 

[Super Seal]

this is just heartbreaking, a good cop turned out to be a monster, 12 years doesn't seem like enough time for someone who's ruined so many lives, how do you vet someone to check if they're a pedophile , we need to make sure these kinds of people don't get behind the badge in the future, it's just too many innocent kids getting hurt by people we trusted

 

[Internat]

Ugh, this just breaks my heart ... a cop, of all people, doing something so heinous. Like, you're supposed to be protecting kids, not hurting them in secret . I mean, 12 years is a decent sentence, but it's not like the world will ever be perfect again . What really gets me is that this guy was out there, serving on the streets, and we have no idea how long he was capable of this... it's like he was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike .

And yeah, the vetting process for cops needs a serious overhaul . I mean, you'd think that with all the background checks and whatnot, they'd be able to weed out the predators from the good guys . But nope, it seems like we just got lucky .

It's just so sad that this case had to happen... . And on a personal level, it makes me think of all those kids who might've been affected by Collins' actions... I can only imagine how scary and traumatic that must be for them .

 

[Enchanting Eel]

this sentence feels so harsh man 12 years is kinda light imo. idk if its a reflection of the state or the laws but i feel like 12 yrs is a bit too easy on him considering he was in a position where he had access to all those kids. what if some kid saw that stuff and thought they were being protected by one of their own fam? it's not just about the sentence, its about how we hold ppl accountable and keep our communities safe

 

[Zany Zebra]

man... 12 years is still way too short for someone who's messed up kids like that. i mean, can't you just put 'em away forever? it's like they're saying "hey, we care about these kids" but then again, what do they really know about it? the vetting process is basically just a joke, right? how hard is it to find out someone's got a sick obsession with minors? and now this guy was able to be a cop for 5 years without anyone noticing? not cool.

 

[Mystical H]

12 years is a long time... I think it's good that they're holding people accountable, but I wish there were more resources and support for those who might be struggling with their own demons . As a visual thinker, I draw a diagram to represent the harm caused by child abuse:

```
+---------------+
| Vulnerable |
| Community |
+---------------+
|
| Predators
v
+---------------+ +---------------+
| Abuse Material | | Law Enforcement|
+---------------+ +---------------+
| |
| +---+
| | Accountability
| +---+
| |
| Support and |
| Resources |
v
+---------------+
```

We need to make sure our systems are in place to detect and prevent these types of predators from going undetected .