Retired Lieutenant "Al" Adams was presented a retirement badge and an etched glass award from the PB&PA Unit 14. (Photo courtesy of the APD Facebook Page)ALTON - After 27 years serving the Alton Police Department, Lt. Al Adams has retired. 

During his tenure in Alton, Adams worked in every department except traffic enforcement. He retired as a lieutenant after nearly three decades serving. He also ran the operations of the drug department, spent a lot of time on investigations and with the major case squad, served as a special agent in the early 1990s and served on various task forces. He went to the FBI's National Academy in 2013, and said he looks forward to a continued future in law enforcement. 

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"I was ready to retire and move on, but I wanted to stay in law enforcement," Adams said Friday afternoon. 

Adams's last day on the Alton Police force was Tuesday, Jan. 2. After Tuesday, he continued his career with the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) Police Department. He said he is in the early stages of the new job, but said it was going "so far, so good." 

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"I chose SIUE, because I was ready to retire from Alton," he said. "I had 27 years in, and I was eligible to draw pension. I applied to SIUE and got hired. There was no big reason for leaving. I was just ready to go." 

Adams said he hoped he would be in law enforcement for several years to come. 

"I like working with a professional police department," he said. 

Officers from all ranks and ages gathered at the command center to thank Lt. Adams for his many years of service. (Courtesy of the APD Facebook Page)

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