10-18 URGENT: CALLING ALL CAREER SEEKERS
Take the next step toward a rewarding career in law enforcement. With career opportunities spanning all 102 counties in Illinois, there’s a place for you to make a difference right in your community. Real Illinois sheriff’s office employees describe how varied the paths in really are. One started out in construction before transitioning. Another came up at the Kane County Sheriff’s Office from an entry-level position. A third was talked into the profession after being stopped by an Illinois state trooper. The work is just as varied: patrol, SWAT, correctional, civil process, civilian and support staff — all under one elected sheriff in each county. One Illinois deputy describes helping at an accident scene where the survivor returned six months later just to say thank you. If you want to treat every person with dignity, make a difference each shift, and build a career that can last 20-plus years, an Illinois sheriff’s office is a place you can step up and serve. Take the first step into your new career. Give us your email and we’ll send you information about becoming a law enforcement professional.
STEP UP TO A CAREER THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Common Questions
Quick answers about starting a law enforcement career at one of Illinois’s 102 county sheriffs’ offices.
View video transcript
0:00 — Why I Serve
When I look back at my service and my careers, I look back at helping people, letting them know I’m there for you.
0:12 — Diverse Paths Into Law Enforcement
Criminal justice always piqued my interest, so I went to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office and it was fantastic. It was a sense of family and cohesiveness that I had never felt before. I grew up as in a poor house. At the bottom entry point of the sheriff’s office, I worked my way all the way from there, all the way up. I’m telling you that if I can do it, anybody can do it. I had worked construction for a while outta high school. I got laid off, and then my dad was still working as a deputy at the time, and it really hadn’t occurred to me prior to that to think about being a law enforcement officer. I did not have a very good respect for law enforcement growing up, and I wanted to change that mindset, how minorities, how the black community see law enforcement. We can make some changes if we work together.
0:54 — Dignity, Respect, and Impact
And to treat each person with dignity and respect and try to solve their problem, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to do that for other people. Those are the people that we need in this profession that are driven to help others and protect others. We welcome any type of background. If you seek this career, we’re gonna provide you with all the tools of resources in order to be extremely successful and do more things than you could ever think of.
1:14 — A Real Story of Service
I remember going to an accident scene once, it was a car full of people, one of the occupants was in really bad shape. I helped reassure them that things were gonna be okay. Six months later, I remember running back into this person. They stopped by to say thank you, and that impact is why we do this job.
1:35 — More Than Patrol
What do you want to do really at the end of the day, because we’re just not patrol, we’re not the SWAT team, we’re just not narcotics. We have a correctional division, we have a civilian staff and there’s support staff, and there’s a lot of different things that we do. If they weren’t there supporting us, then we could not be out on the street to serve other people. You can make a difference with every call you go on, every shift you work, every day you work.
1:54 — A Lifetime Career
20-plus years later, I’m still with this fantastic profession. And it is an absolute privilege to serve my community and my county. We are building something that is something more than just what we do on a daily basis. Stop being a follower. Be a leader. I hope you join the team and step up and serve. This is where you belong. We need people just like you. Thank you.
