Former ATF agent joins Lockport Board of Police Commissioners

Lockport — The Lockport City Council has appointed a new member to its Board of Police Commissioners.

Tina Bayless, a 20-year Lockport resident and former agent for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, was sworn in Monday to her position on the board at the Lockport Police Station.

“When I was at the ATF, I worked a lot with state and local law enforcement officers,” Bayless said. “I couldn’t have done my job without them. I think this is a nice way to give back to the community while supporting my brothers and sisters in blue.”

During the Lockport Committee of the Whole meeting on April 17, Mayor Steven Streit hailed Bayless as “a great asset” to have as a commissioner, while Alderman Darren Deskin praised her experience for the role.

“I’ve looked at quite a few resumes in my day, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more impressive resume for anyone I’ve ever looked at,” Deskin said. “If there’s anyone who’s over-qualified to sit on a commission, it’s Tina. I hope you’re around for many, many years.”

Bayless spent 28 years with the ATF working mostly in the arson and explosives department. She moved to the Chicago area from Pittsburgh in 1991 for her job, and moved to Lockport with her husband, fellow ATF agent and Palos Heights-native, Chris Bayless, in 2003.

Bayless and her husband have nearly 60 years of federal law enforcement experience between them and raised two children in Lockport. Their son followed his parents’ path and currently works as a police officer in Plainfield.

After retiring from the ATF in 2017, Bayless spent five years working part-time for the NFL as a security representative at Soldier Field and worked independently as a private investigator.

In addition to her experience in federal law enforcement, Bayless sits on the Board of Advisors for the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, serves as a Will County election judge and is involved with multiple local law enforcement groups. Her association at the local level is how she learned about the Lockport Commission vacancy.

“I’m always happy to talk about what police can do better and the things that they do well,” Bayless said. “I’m looking forward to meeting the people who aspire to be today’s police officers. I think it’s great that people want to pursue it, and I’m looking forward to meeting the candidates to get the best and brightest for our community.”

She also said “it takes a special kind of person” to be a good police officer and stressed the importance of promoting mental health awareness in law enforcement.

“It’s not an easy job, and I can speak from experience that it can take a toll on you,” she said. “We need to be more in-tune to the mental wellbeing of officers. It’s an important component of the job.”

Streit told the City Council that although commissioner Jack Miller’s term was slated to end this year, commissioner Pete Colarelli had told Streit he needed to step down because of personal scheduling problems and a lack of availability.

Colarelli’s term still has one year left in it. To resolve the problem, Colarelli has stepped down from his role and Miller will be serving an additional year to finish Colarelli’s term. Bayless will fill the vacancy left by Miller’s expired term.