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Frank Bibbiano: Candidate Profile

DuPage County Sheriff (Republican)

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ElmhurstWebsite: Frankforsheriff.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frankforsheriff/Office sought: DuPage County Sheriff Age: 44Family: Wife: Elena Children: Franco, Cristina, MarcoOccupation: Undersheriff, DuPage County Sheriff's OfficeEducation: B.A. Political Science, Northern Illinois University 1996 Staff and Command, Northwestern University 2009Civic involvement: Member: DuPage County Chiefs of Police, DuPage County Senior Managers, American Corrections Association, National Association of Down Syndrome, Gigi's Playhouse, Accessible Hearts Ministry, Italian American Police Association, Italian American Executives in Trasportation, Knights of Columbus 1911 CouncilElected offices held: York Township Republican Organization Committeeman- Appointed 2017.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election for the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? If so, what?I am running for Sheriff because the safety of DuPage County citizens is critically important. Our community deserves an ethical Sheriff who has the trifecta of extensive experience, innovative leadership and community trust. I am humbled to be the only candidate Ãâ#128;™wholeheartedly endorsedÃâ#128;œ by retiring Sheriff John Zaruba as the most fully qualified candidate. I am a police officer first a political outsider who brings objective impartiality. As Undersheriff, I know firsthand what it takes to work in the jail and on the street, investigate both criminal and internal matters, and manage a multi-million dollar Office budget. The Illinois State Crime Commission awarded me as the 2017 Protector of Children recipient because of my work in protecting families with the EpiPen program. I actively promote services such as Guardian and SPARR that benefit our growing senior and special needs populations. As Sheriff, I will fight gangs and drugs, I will protect services for seniors and families and I will collaborate with the DuPage County Board to create a responsible and balanced budget. I am running for Sheriff because, at my core, I am a police officer who wants to serve and protect. The Sheriff's Office is tasked to protect our citizens in our courthouse, in our jail and in our communities. I have experience serving in every aspect of the Office. Our families, seniors and special needs community have felt safe in DuPage County under Sheriff Zaruba's watch. As Sheriff, I commit to keeping, or exceeding, your quality of life.If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of any important initiatives you've led. If you are a challenger, what would you bring to the board and what would your priority be?Although I am neither an incumbent nor a challenger, I can share experience relevant to the Sheriff's position that I have achieved as Undersheriff. An effective Sheriff keeps a pulse on the immediate needs of the community, while also having a vision for innovative protections and services needed in the long term. As a top administrator in the DuPage County Sheriff's Office, I have driven initiatives that serve as a beacon for law enforcement agencies across Illinois. The Sheriff's Office was a leader in Illinois with the DuPage Narcan initiative that I helped implement. We partnered with the County Board and Health Department to fund supplies of Narcan for our deputies to administer reversing drug overdoses linked to heroin and other opioids. To date, I am proud that Narcan has saved over 100 lives in DuPage County. The Sheriff's Office was also the first in Illinois to implement the EpiPen initiative. Partnering with the DuPage County Health Department and the Annie LeGere Foundation, I led the DuPage Sheriff's Office through an implementation providing Sheriff's Deputies with EpiPens to carry and administer when a citizen is suffering from a life threatening allergic reaction. I bring a proven track record of success in partnering with other law enforcement agencies, government bodies, and private industry to implement forward-thinking programs for our citizens.What do you see as the biggest gap in solving the opioid crisis in your county? What can the sheriff's office do to help close the gap?The largest gap in solving the County's opioid crisis is the incorrect assumption that we can arrest and prosecute our way out of this destructive epidemic. Addiction is powerful. Research shows that threats of arrest or prosecution have almost no effect on a drug-addicted offender. However, we can impact the cycle of addiction through qualified treatment programs. Initiating drug abuse treatment in jail is key to both individual recovery and to public safety. It also reduces the risk of returning to drug-related criminal behavior and drug abuse. I support JUST of DuPage that provides drug counseling to inmates to eliminate addiction. I plan to implement a diversion program to increase drug abuse treatment. A drug-addicted offender will be evaluated according to specific criteria to determine if he or she can receive treatment instead of being incarcerated. The program will be implemented by partnering with both the State's Attorney and County Health Department. Effectively handling the opioid crisis also requires direct law enforcement and community education. I know from experience that gangs and drugs are the root of violent crimes. Working with the Anti-gang tactical team (A-TAC), I partnered with police chiefs across the county to mobilize a strong team of gang specialists to infiltrate gangs, arrest offenders and get drugs off our streets. I also proactively educate our community by speaking to parents and children at events about the dangers of heroin and opioids. I oversee the 'First Step' program to help parents address drug abuse with their children.How is the opioid crisis affecting other crimes in your county? What other crime trends are you noticing related to opioids and what can be done to prevent these crimes?The opioid crisis is affecting almost every other area of crime in DuPage County. Opioids are the root cause of the increase in drug-related criminal behavior, including misdemeanor thefts, domestic violence, felony thefts, and felony possession of a controlled substance. Addicted offenders will do anything to secure their drugs. In thinking about prevention of these crimes, I believe proactive education about drugs is critical. I share the latest trends on opioid usage at community events across our County. The Sheriff's Office has a Community Resource Unit that teaches grade school children about the dangers of opioids and a Deputy in a high school who monitors students and proactively raises opioid concerns with the school's administration. I oversee the Office's CIT, Critical Incident Team, training program that educates our deputies on how to interact with citizens who have mental illness, including drug addiction. The success of this team has grown into an additional treatment-related partnership with deputies and counseling clinicians. Together, these pairs follow up with addicted citizens to break the cycle of addiction. I take the responsibility of using taxpayer dollars very seriously in handling the impact of opioids in our County. This Office will enforce the law to get drugs off our streets. As stated in Q3, I will also implement a jail diversion program to treat qualified drug-addicted offenders. Tax dollars are paying for these offenders whether they are incarcerated being treated for drug addiction. Our best option for breaking this cycle is treatment to reduce recidivism.Describe your position regarding the allocation of resources in the sheriff's office. Are personnel allocated as they should be? Are there capital expense or other budgetary items that the office must address, and, if so, how do you propose to address them?The allocation of resources is complex given the size and responsibilities of the Sheriff's Office. The most important resource, in my opinion, is the human resource of our people.These professionals directly contribute to the Office being heralded within the national law enforcement community as the Gold Star of Excellence. The Sheriff's Office strives to be as efficient as possible. The three bureaus in the Office share the same pool of Deputies who are represented by two different labor unions. We allocate personnel as efficiently as possible while honoring labor contracts. The Office cooperates with municipal partners to run task forces, benefiting all county agencies. The Office allocates one deputy to nine task forces on the local, state, and federal level. This type of collaboration saves taxpayer dollars both for the Sheriff's Office and for agencies across the county. I anticipate an increase in capital expenses around technology. Using predictive analytics software, automatic license plate readers or handheld fingerprint scanners can better equip deputies on patrol. Technology can also improve the safety of deputies and inmates in the County jail, as well as the welfare of the judges and citizens in our courthouse. However, I caution anyone who claims technology as a Ãâ#128;™cheap, easy solutionÃâ#128;œ for complex, fiscal challenges. The Office and County Board are careful about how tax dollars are spent. In addition, with increases in cyber attacks, the Sheriff's Office must utilize technology thoughtfully to protect sensitive and private citizen information.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I think that other issues facing the county are the need to protect our growing special needs and senior populations. As a father of a son with special needs, I know first hand the safety issues for those with special needs and their families. This is a growing population and I strongly believe that programs such as SPARR can have a positive and lasting effect on those families. In addition, educating families on new, protective technology, like GPS watches, are an effective tool when parents need deputies to find a loved one. I have worked with Marionjoy Rehab to bring the Traffic Stop Drills program to the Sheriff's Office. These exercises educate drivers with special needs, like autism, on appropriate behavior and expectations during a traffic stop. In my spare time, I volunteer for Special Olympics and the Knights of Columbus to support our community. We are also responsible for serving and protecting our senior citizens. I oversee the Guardian Program and routinely participate with the Milton Township S.A.L.T Council to address the needs of our seniors in assisted living. Scam artists often target our senior population hoping they are vulnerable. Community outreach is not very costly, but very effective, giving seniors the tools they need to stay safe in the community.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.DuPage County Treasurer Gwen Henry. She is humble, intelligent and responsible. She prioritizes service to our taxpayers and fully appreciates the work from her staff.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Growing up, I learned that there is no replacement for love. The love from family fuels confidence and support for anyone to achieve their potential.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have pursued law school after graduating with my B.A degree. I understand the law, but a formal education is so valuable.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?American History - It helped me realize that society can advance only when we learn from both the positive and negative experiences of our history.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?I tell my three children to follow their dreams. They were created with unique gifts and talents. Share those qualities with the world!