Kendall County Sheriff’s Office reports no excessive use of force in 51 separate incidents in 2021

Kendall County Sheriff’s Office deputies were involved in a total of 51 use of force incidents over the past year and the sheriff’s office has determined after a review that none of them involved the use of excessive force.

In a statement issued March 22, the sheriff’s office said that in 2021 members of its Operations Division were involved in 20 reviewable use of force incidents, while members of the Corrections Division based at the county jail in Yorkville were involved in 31 incidents.

The finding was contained in the Sheriff’s Office’s 2021 Annual Use of Force Analysis.

The sheriff’s office said in the statement that it is the culture of their office “to be fair, unbiased, and to only use force that is reasonable and necessary. This is ensured through our long-standing policies and practices including a review of every use of force incident where the force applied exceeds compliant handcuffing.”

According to the sheriff’s office, supervisors are immediately notified of any such use of force incidents and a thorough review is promptly initiated.

“These reviews are conducted to detect any indications that a deputy may be prone to an application of excessive force or requires additional support and/or training. The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office has a zero-tolerance policy for any type of biased based actions or excessive applications of force. If any such pattern of behavior is ever detected, disciplinary steps will be taken,” the sheriff’s office said.

Sheriff Dwight Baird said in the statement that he believes in being transparent with county residents and making the reports available for review serve to further that belief and works to build trust in the community.

“I also want to assure you that my staff and I are committed to continually evaluating and reassessing our practices, policies, and procedures to ensure all of our deputies are conducting themselves professionally and treating everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve. The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office is committed to equal and fair treatment for all citizens,” Baird said.