McHenry County jail chief made permanent

A former downstate police chief who has spent the past four years as second-in-charge in the McHenry County jail will now get his chance to run the place.

Sheriff Keith Nygren on Friday formally appointed Daniel Sedlock the county's new jail chief, removing the "acting chief" tag he had worn since the prior chief's sudden resignation in August.

Sedlock, who served as chief of police in downstate Ottawa before coming to McHenry County in 2003, will oversee a facility that employs about 200 corrections officers and other workers, and detains between 500 and 600 inmates every day.

"Running a division as large as this, it's a huge responsibility," Sedlock said after a swearing-in ceremony Friday.

Supervising the facility has unique challenges because it houses not only convicted criminals and suspected criminals awaiting trial, but also hundreds of foreign nationals from around the world detained by federal immigration authorities.

"It's a challenge, with such a diverse population, to ensure harmony within the facility," he said.

Sedlock was appointed acting chief after then-Chief Tom Svoboda abruptly stepped down without explanation. Svoboda, who had served as jail chief the previous seven years, oversaw the facility through a $14 million expansion that doubled its capacity.