GLEN CARBON – Three Glen Carbon police officers received promotions on Tuesday, rising to their next respective ranks at the Feb. 25, 2025 Village Board meeting.
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Sergeant Jeffrey Blind was promoted to Lieutenant, while Detectives Ross Tyler and Christopher Johnson were both promoted to Sergeant.
Lieutenant Jeffrey Blind
Police Chief Todd Link said Blind has been a police officer for nearly 18 years. After earning his Criminal Justice degree from SIUE in 2006, he was hired by the GCPD in 2007 and previously served as a patrol officer, firearms instructor, and field training officer.
“In 2016, I assigned Jeff to Investigations, where he was an outstanding detective,” Link said of Blind. “He was a member of the Major Case Squad for Greater St. Louis and as a member … he helped investigate several murder cases throughout this region and other towns.”
Blind also served on the Child Death Investigation Task Force and the FBI Task Force. During his time with the latter agency, he participated in wiretap investigations and assisted in federal prosecutions. Link said Blind was also the lead investigator on a serial bank robbery case and solved not only a U.S. Bank robbery in Glen Carbon, but several other robberies throughout the state from the Metro East to Springfield.
After his promotion to Sergeant in 2018, Link said Blind served as an excellent “front line” leader who used groundbreaking technology to extract evidence from cell phones. But he also accomplished something Link had never before seen in his law enforcement career.
“In 2022 – and this is something I’ve never seen happen in my 31 years as a police officer – he delivered a healthy baby boy on duty and was the winner of the Blue Stork award – it’s even on his uniform,” Link said. “He’s going to be a tremendous Lieutenant for us as he’s already proven to be.”
Sergeant Ross Tyler
An officer of nearly 11 years, Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology, a master’s degree in Sports Science and Physical Rehabilitation, and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Hired to the GCPD in 2019, Tyler serves as a patrol officer and a use-of-force instructor, specializingin defense tactics, de-escalation tactics, and more.
In addition to serving as a SWAT officer, Link said Tyler was another one of the department’s “outstanding” detectives who served with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, working major murder cases and more throughout the region.
“In 2021, he served as the lead investigator on the armed robbery case at GlenMart BP, and after literally weeks of exhaustive investigation, he identified the suspect,” Link said. “Through his work, [he] cleared multiple armed robberies and home invasion cases on both sides of the river.”
In 2022, Tyler became the GCPD’s first certified cellphone extraction operator and analyst. Link said he was also a founding member of the Southwestern Illinois Forensic Task Force, which specializes in investigating violent crimes using cell phone evidence.
Sergeant Christopher Johnson
With nearly 15 years of experience as a police officer, Christopher Johnson is a Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) Criminal Justice graduate andaprivate pilot of fixed-wing aircraft. Hired to the GCPD in 2016, Link noted Johnson was about to be promoted to Sergeant at a different agency – an opportunity he turned down to serve the Glen Carbon community.
In addition to his role as a patrol officer, Johnson has also served as a traffic enforcement instructor and field training officer. He is currently an adjunct instructor in the Southwestern Illinois Police Academy, teaching traffic crash investigations, particularly those resulting in injury or death.
“From 2010 until the present, he has served as the lead investigator on the Metro East Crash Assistant Team, also known as MECAT, and he’s investigated scores of traffic crashes involving serious injury or death throughout this entire reason,” Link said. “In fact, if there’s an agency that has a serious traffic crash, they almost always call Chris out.”
Like his other two fellow promoted officers, Johnson participated in many murder investigations during his years as a detective with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis, still serving with the agency as a deputy report writer.
“In 2021, he served as the lead investigator in a rash of home burglaries and home invasions that occurred within the village of Glen Carbon,” Link said. “Through his exhaustive work, [he] brought federal charges on a criminal defendant who was … wanted in several cases in California and Nevada.”
Link said Johnson was also a founding member of the GCPD’sunmanned aerial drone program as the department’s first-ever certified drone pilot. He has successfully adapted their drone equipment to assist in investigations by flying over traffic crash scenes.
Mayor Bob Marcus conducted the Oath of Office for each officer as they were sworn into their new ranks. After family members pinned on each of their badges, photos were taken and each newly promoted officer was met with applause from attendees.
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