Will County sheriff challenged by deputy
Sheriff Mike Kelley is facing opposition from one his deputies, Jim Reilly, in the race to be Will County’s top cop in the November election.
In seeking his second term, Kelley said he brings 30 consecutive years of experience with the sher--
iff’s department, during which he worked in nearly every division. Reilly said he has more college education and expects to earn his Ph.D. in global leadership/criminal justice. Both have received awards for their policework.
Kelley, 51, of Lockport, has been with the sheriff’s department since 1988, serving as a deputy in the Adult Detention Facility, an investi- gator with the Will County state’s attorney’s office, a patrol sergeant, and a sergeant in the criminal investigations division.
Hewas elected sheriff in 2014 as a Democrat and also has served in other elected offices, including as Lockport alderman, Lockport Township collector and township trustee. He was named the sheriff of the year in 2017 by the Illinois Crime Commission, he said. During his tenure, Kelley also received departmental awards for meritorious service and distinguished service.
“My accomplishments, training and experience are superior to that of my opponent. I have 17 more years of police experience than my opponent and 25
more years at the Will County sheriff’s office,” Kelley said.
Reilly, a 53-year-old Republican, who has been a deputy with the department since 2013, and previously served as a Joliet Police officer from 1989 to 1997. During that time, the Wilmington man’s assignments included working for an organized crime/drug enforcement unit, and working with local and federal agencies to solve murders, armed robberies, murder for hires and other high- profile cases, including political corruption, Reilly said.
He was named deputy of the year in 2016, and was Joliet police officer of the year in 1991 and 1993, he said.
He left to work at his family’s construction company for 16 years and returned to college.
“As an officer for 15 years, I committed to my career by going back to school to earn a PhD in criminal justice,” said Reilly, whose dissertation on community policing is research that he will use in the sheriff’s office.
“Will County residents deserve real leadership, and as sheriff, I will bring my experience to fix the issues plaguing our county and make our communities safer,” Reilly said.
Kelley said he is running on his record of accomplishments.
The opioid epidemic is the biggest issue facing the county, he said. During his tenure, he, implemented a county substance abuse prevention coalition and recently received a $1.25 million federal grant to increase collaboration in communities to prevent and reduce youth substance abuse. All personnel have been trained in the use ofNarcan, anopioid antidote, to save the lives.
Kelley said he also developed the “Hidden in Plain Sight Trailer” for mobile drug training and parental education on drug usage warning signs, added five new drug detection canines and started a drug enforcement interdiction team.
School violence is another issue for Kelley. He said implemented an “active shooter” training program for the entire department. He also partnered with Homer School District 33C to receive a $500,000 grant to improve school security and safety.
Kelley said he also plans to address the increasingnumberof family crisis intervention calls by hiring another social worker to help families and provide resources and counseling to those affected.
He said he saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by bringing foreclosures in house and not paying fees to a law firm, and modernized patrol scheduling to increase coverage without increasing costs.
“I will continue to look forways to save the taxpayers money” by applying for grants and reviewing operational procedures, he said.
Kelley said he also implemented programs to increase transparency and integrity of department members, and consolidated 50,000 pieces of evidence into one location, in the designing of the new Public Safety Complex.
Reilly said his top issues are addressing the unsolvedmurders, the opioid crisisandthe increase in crime due to the drug problems.
“I have seen our current administration sit by and do nothing to fix these issues,” Reilly said.
To address unsolved homicides, such as Semaj Crosby, Reilly said he will bring in new leadership and working closely with federal agencies to bring a “fresh set of eyes” to these cases.
Reilly said he has written a “comprehensive heroin strategic plan,” which includes reorganizing and expanding the current narcotics unit and creating a new plainclothes tactical unit to address the “rising criminal behaviors plaguing out communities.”
This tactical unit will be taken off patrol and assigned to areas where crime, such as burglary to motor vehicles and retail theft, pops up, and work midnights when these crimes occur so they can respond rapidly, Reilly said.
He plans to implementcommunity policing strategies that are in his doctoral dissertation. Deputies will take “accountability” for the areas they are assigned to work in, identify “hot spots,” work with owners to make improvements to the area, such as improving the lighting or removing abandoned vehicles, he said.
“If we give deputies more responsibility, there will be a dramatic decrease in calls and it frees them up to do more important calls,” Reilly said.
Deputies also will be specially trained to assist in educational programs and calls for service inways to better offer social support programs to those persons and families in need, he said.
Reilly said these changes willcome “at no additional cost.”
“We have the manpower for these units,” he said, adding that he will reorganize the department use personnel more effectively.