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MORRISON – The Whiteside County sheriff's race is pitting two longtime law officers and coworkers for the job of the county's top cop.
Chief Deputy John Booker, 52, a Rock Falls Democrat, was hired by the department in 1998 and was a patrol sergeant and detective before becoming lieutenant and commander of the county’s SWAT team.
Among others, he has won the endorsement of his boss, Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi, and the man Wilhelmi replaced in 2008, Roger Schipper, both Republicans. Wilhelmi is retiring after a decade in the position, and 30 years with the sheriff's department.
Booker has chosen sheriff's Lt. Seth Janssen to be his chief deputy, should he be elected.
Sgt. Kris Schmidt, 46, of Morrison, is his GOP rival. Schmidt started out in the Air Force's security police in 1990, was a sergeant at the DeWitt Police Department and director of security for Ashford University in Clinton, both in Iowa. He came to the department in 2001, and was promoted to sergeant in 2009.
He, too, has garnered the support of many longtime area law officers, including Whiteside County deputy sheriff and Tampico Police officer Michael Lewis, who ran against Schmidt in the Feb. 20 primary, and Larry VanDyke, who was Whiteside County deputy sheriff for 20 years.
Should he be elected. Schmidt will make Sterling Police Patrol Sgt. Pat Bartel his right-hand man.
Both men responded Friday to questions submitted by Sauk Valley Media.
John Booker
What are the biggest issues you'll have to tackle as sheriff? What's your plan for tackling them?
As the next sheriff of Whiteside County, I will be tackling several major issues.
1. Preventing crimes against seniors.
Under my watch, the Sheriff's Office will aggressively investigate crimes against our senior citizens. We will have no tolerance for financial exploitation, abuse or neglect of our senior population.
I will designate a team of detectives and deputies to attend specialized training in this area, so that we can improve our handling of these terrible situations and better protect our senior citizens.
2. Dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues
We will vigorously deal with issues of addiction and mental health. I realize that many see these two concepts as unrelated, but often they are closely intertwined.
We need to do a better job of working to correct and treat substance abuse and mental health problems. As sheriff, I will do just that. Our deputies will undergo advanced training to assist them in recognizing these issues when they play a role, as they so often do, in the cases we handle.
We will work closely with mental health and substance abuse treatment agencies to get help for the people who need it.
In this way, we will attempt to break the cycle that brings people right back into the criminal justice system as though it is a revolving door. The obituary section of this newspaper has too often included young people whose lives were lost to addiction. It breaks my heart every time I see that.
We can't do it alone, but we most certainly can do a better job of joining forces with families to get their loved ones the help they so desperately need.
3. School safety
The protection of our schoolchildren is absolutely crucial. We are seeing more school resource officers in our local schools, and that is just wonderful. They are a vital and important part of our greater efforts to keep our schools safe. But they are not the only piece.
All of our county's schools and law enforcement agencies must work closely together to coordinate our responses to school emergencies. On my first day as sheriff, my office will reach out to our local schools and local police agencies to begin that process.
I will assemble an active, working committee, comprised of school officials, law enforcement officers, and community members who will develop a coordinated school safety plan for the entire county.
4. Community policing
Our Sheriff's Office will be more active in community policing activities. Our deputies will get out of their squad cars more often, and more closely interact with the public on a one-on-one basis.
What makes you a better fit for the job than your opponent?
Experience. Experience. Experience. Kris is a nice enough guy, but he simply lacks the experience for the job. This job is far more than writing the most tickets or having a lot of yard signs.
To be honest, Kris reminds me a little of myself 8 years ago, when I was a patrol deputy running for this position. Like him, I thought I knew more than I did. Over these past 8 years, while he has remained a road deputy, I have risen through the ranks of the Sheriff's Office.
I was promoted to detective, then lieutenant, and now chief deputy. I have over 27 years of specialized experience and training in every aspect of the Sheriff's Office. I have run every division of the Sheriff's Office, not just one small part of it.
Despite the fact that I am running as a Democrat, I have received the strong endorsements of Whiteside County Sheriffs Roger Schipper and Kelly Wilhelmi. They're both Republicans, yet they both support me over my Republican opponent. That is a big and powerful statement. It says that public safety comes before party politics.
Our past two sheriffs are both very familiar with Kris and with me. They both believe that I am far more qualified for the job. I am grateful for their confidence, and I have worked very hard to earn it.
This job is way too important to be entrusted to a novice with nice yard signs. It requires integrity and experience. I have both.
Kris Schmidt
What are the biggest issues you'll have to tackle as sheriff? What's your plan for tackling them?
There are many issues that will have to be tackled, but it won’t just be me working to tackle them. It’s going to take teamwork, both inside the Sheriff’s Office and between the Sheriff’s Office and individuals within the communities we serve.
There are a few main issues we’ll be focusing on right away, which are the law enforcement approach to individuals suffering from mental health issues, an increasing drug use and abuse epidemic, a lack of integration between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and school/workplace safety.
1. Law enforcement's approach to individuals suffering from mental health issues
One of the first issues we’ll be tackling at the Sheriff’s Office, and one that really all law enforcement needs to address, is how peace officers approach individuals suffering from mental health issues. Throughout the United States, we’ve all seen news, social media posts, heard through a friend or relative, that individuals suffering from a mental health crisis are met by police, the situation escalates, and results in a tragedy.
As law enforcement officers, we see firsthand the growing need for a better law enforcement training and strategies for de-escalating crisis situations, safely taking individuals into custody and getting those individuals the help they seek and need.
The Whiteside County Jail is also seeing an increase in inmates suffering from mental health illnesses, which is a direct reflection of inadequate external mental health care.
I plan to develop and work with a local Crisis Intervention Team that will address proactive measures for individuals suffering from mental health issues inside the jail, as well as be able to assist deputies responding to a crisis in our communities. Being proactive will help create a dialogue to address mental needs before it escalates into an incident or crisis.
2. The drug use and abuse epidemic.
Another issue we’ve got to tackle is the increasing drug use/abuse epidemic. We are all victims of this epidemic, whether it be through increased retail rates because of theft, or increased insurance rates from vehicle thefts and residential burglaries.
In addition, many residents have a friend or loved one who has fallen to an addiction to drugs.
We can, and must, address this problem through education for youth and adults, tougher enforcement, and addiction treatment.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) was a great program in its time, but we need a more comprehensive and interactive course that works with our youth continuously about the dangers of drug use and addiction. We need to also educate parents and guardians to give them the tools they need to foster conversations with their children.
We have had the “War on Drugs,” for nearly 50 years with no real end in sight. Enforcement is needed.
There are many ways to improve enforcement at the Sheriff’s Office, and it’s something that is very dynamic, constantly changing to adapt to the tactics used by suppliers and dealers. Being proactive, rather than reactive, will offer many avenues for the sheriff’s office to make progress in pushing this criminal activity out of our communities.
We also need to provide options for those who have fallen to addiction. We can help them discover treatment and recovery through programs like Safe Passage and One Eighty. Through these programs, individuals break the addiction, work through steps to sort out issues that may have pushed them into addiction, and find the tools they need to be productive members in society and remain sober.
These programs are essential in combating the drug epidemic.
3. Lack of integration between law enforcement and the community they serve
We’ve all seen over the past several years a breakdown and division between law enforcement and the citizens they serve. We can’t solve any issues facing our county without working together and being integrated.
That requires a fundamental shift in the paradigm of law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office must work to restore the relationship and continually earn the trust we’ve been given to protect Whiteside County and serve our citizens to the best of our abilities.
That change has to start with Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office employees. To be acknowledged, trusted, and transparent is vital for morale and will be one of the first priorities. After all, when an employee is proficient and valued, they become great ambassadors for the sheriff’s office and all law enforcement in general.
Local law enforcement has been blessed with the perpetual support from our citizens, but national incidents with law enforcement have divided communities and peace officers. Deputies and staff trained beyond the basic state requirements, acknowledged for the hard work they do, and trusted to do the job they were hired to do, will increase morale and will drastically improve the overall relationship with the people we serve.
4. School/workplace safety
As a previous D.A.R.E. instructor, school resource officer and director of security at Ashford University (employed 14 years), I have a true compassion for the safety of our citizens, whether in the school environment or workplace setting.
Sadly, many places have fallen victim to violence nationally, and even locally, like we saw at the Dixon High School. We at the Sheriff’s Office will take proactive measures to ensure security through continual training and risk assessments, along with improving social and environmental health.
Law enforcement presence is a must, and I will coordinate a countywide SRO program for our schools to confirm the overall importance of having lasting presence of safety and be a continual positive role model for our children.
Workplace security is equally important, and I will lead by example since I was just trained as a “Run, Hide, Fight” instructor in August.
By working directly and having an open communication with employers/employees, the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate training and other measures to ensure the well-being of our businesses within the county.
What makes you a better fit for the job than your opponent?
There are several aspects of who I am and what I’ve accomplished that make me a better fit for the job.
My experience, education, leadership style, compassion for people, approachability, positivity, effective communication skills, and solid working relationships with other law enforcement agencies, are just some of the many characteristics that make me the best fit to be your next sheriff.
I served in the U.S. Air Force for 5 years as security police. I developed a discipline for effective leadership and earned recognition as Tactical Air Command Airman of the Year.
The leadership skills I learned in the Air Force built a foundation for civilian law enforcement and have been developed even further to be a positive and very effective leader, starting at DeWitt Police Department, where I became a sergeant, as a director of security at Ashford University, and as a sergeant with the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.
My effective leadership abilities have earned the respect, support, and endorsement of numerous individuals, including eight out of nine police chiefs in Whiteside County. My experience and knowledge are very extensive.
I also am the only candidate who earned a college degree, a Bachelor of Arts and a minor in Criminal Justice with Distinction.