Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen hired his campaign field director as a state Justice Department receptionist and has twice promoted him to positions in the agency’s criminal bureau.

Agency employment records show Van Hollen, a Republican, appointed Tim Jennings as a part-time office associate on Jan. 26, 2007, days after Van Hollen took office. Jennings worked as a receptionist, sorted mail and handled filing for $11.55 an hour.

In August, Van Hollen appointed Jennings to a part-time analyst position in the Division of Criminal Investigation and bumped his pay to $12.77 an hour. His duties included creating timelines and other analyses in criminal probes.

In March, Van Hollen gave Jennings a temporary DCI analyst post at $16.08 per hour. His duties include studying gang activity in the Fox Valley.

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