Kevin Williams: Candidate Profile

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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: GenevaWebsite: williams4sheriff.orgOffice sought: Kane County Sheriff Age: 54Family: For the past ten years, I have been happily married to Tracy (Wildenradt). I have three children (Amber-32, Amanda-30, and Joshua-28), who were all raised in Kane County with my late wife Teresa (Pesina). Tracy and I have two grandchildren (Hannah and Braden), who live with their mother Amber and father Ben Frary in the state of Washington.Occupation: Lieutenant of Community Policing and Crime Prevention at the Kane County Sheriff's OfficeEducation: EDUCATION General Studies: (1979) Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, ILFire Management: (1982) Blinn Community College Bryan, TexasCriminal Justice Management: (2005-2006) Judson University Elgin, IL. Leadership and Management.CERTIFICATIONS: Northwestern University -- Evanston, IL School of Police Staff and Command Certiïnot;#129;cation -- 2005 University of Illinois -- Champaign, IL Correctional Ofïnot;#129;cer Certiïnot;#129;cation -- 1992Police Certiïnot;#129;cation -- 1993 N.E.M.R.T. (Northeast Multi-Regional Training) -- North Aurora, IL Gang Specialist Investigations, Gang Tactical Ofïnot;#129;cer Juvenile Ofïnot;#129;cer, Homicide Investigations, and Surveillance Techniques Drug Enforcement Agency -- Washington D.C.Certiïnot;#129;ed Drug Investigator - 1996 Suburban Law Enforcement Academy -- College of DuPage, Wheaton, ILHuman Resource DevelopmentInternal AffairsCivic involvement: Member of Friends of Jason Gould; Leukemia/Lymphoma fundraising organizationSpecial Olympics volunteerElected offices held: Kane County Sheriff Republican Nominee-2006Geneva Republican Precinct 5 Committeman-2006, 2012Regional Office of Education, Trustee-2007- Present, Former Vice-ChairmanHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No, I have never been arrested or convicted of a crime.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is that?I have a strong passion for public service, serving communities for over 34 years. I am running for Kane County Sheriff because I have the knowledge, skill and the abilities needed to manage a complex, professional law enforcement organization that is dedicated to the community's needs. My goal is to lead a professional and fiscally responsible office and ensure the rights of all citizens are protected, and aggressively pursue individuals who violate your rights to freedom and safety. Working with the dedicated employees of the Kane County Sheriff's Office, we will make Kane County a place where criminals will want to avoid because we will make every effort to bring them to justice. The Sheriff's role is building partnerships with the Kane County Board, the community, local school officials, law enforcement agencies, local governments, townships and civic organizations. I have been doing just that for 20 plus years. Being a Civil Servant is not just a career for me ... it is a way of life. I am devoted to Kane County and endeavor to keep it a great place in which to live and raise our families. As Sheriff, I will continue to do so with a New Voice and New Energy.What differentiates you most from your opponents in the race?Administrative LeadershipThe knowledge I have gained through administrative experience, college courses in police management and as a graduate of Northwestern's School of Police Staff and Command, I have demonstrated I have the character to build trust and the competence to lead. I have the proper temperament to work with my fellow employees, other government bodies within our county, as well as our community members. As a Lieutenant with several administrative assignments, my organizational, planning and negotiation skills I have proven to be a good manager, but more importantly what sets me apart is my communication and influential skills which have made me a successful leader within the Sheriff's Office.Knowledge and ExperienceI bring 35 years of civil service dedication, blue collar experience, and almost 22 years with the Kane County Sheriff's Office. I have made more felony criminal arrests than both of my opponents combined. I have criminal investigative experience, a thorough knowledge of crime scene protection/evidence collection, have investigated dangerous street gangs and worked as an undercover narcotics officer. I have built law enforcement coalitions throughout my tenure with the Sheriff's Office to achieve greater impact on gang and drug problems. I have made more felony criminal arrests than both of my opponents combined. CommunityMy dedication to our communities for over 20 years uniquely qualifies me to understand the impact that crime is having on our communities. I have a strong record of getting to the core of the problem and coming to a solution, not just talking about them. Many Kane County residents know me. They have seen me working in their community for many years. That sets me apart. I'm not just doing something to show community service for a campaign. My devotion remains the same as before I decided to step up to run for office.What is the proper future use of the shell space at the county jail? When should the county begin to make use of that space?Expanding the county jail is an issue that has already been considered by the county. I believe that the shell space in the Kane County Jail should be built out now, because the cost of building out in the future may increase. If we build more cell blocks for inmates, we could potentially take on more Federal prisoners. Housing Federal inmates generates revenue for the Sheriff's office that can be put to use without burdening the Kane County taxpayers. That said, if the jail is expanded, we should work with local mental health professionals to develop a facility that can better meet the needs of inmates that may be suffering from mental illness, to ensure the safety of both correctional personnel and all inmates.What can the sheriff's office do to address the increasing problem of heroin use in the county?Continued education of the negative effects of heroin is extremely important in combating the heroin problem in Kane County. As the only candidate with a background in drug investigation, I have had the honor of sitting on a Heroin Panel which works in conjunction with other police departments, young people and families whose lives have been adversely affected by heroin use to educate the public. Educating the community on the very dangerous and very real threat of heroin is imperative in combating the drug's growing abuse. I understand that the face of heroin abuse has changed. The majority of heroin abuse begins in the form of prescription drugs, like Oxycontin. The abuse of opiate pain killers, given their addictive nature, can lead people to heroin abuse. I have spearheaded the Sheriff's Office effort in educating the public, especially seniors, on how to properly discard their prescriptions and keep their prescriptions in a safe place to prevent theft. Through my efforts we have acquired a prescription drug drop off box at the Sheriff's Office. I currently hold seminars for members of our communities on prescription drug abuse, teaching them how to educate their children about these drugs. Studies show that when parents educate their children about drug abuse children are 50% less likely to abuse drugs. I will use the Sheriff's Office as a major resource of education, but I also understand that working with families, schools, and local communities is the most effective way to educate, and thus, combat drug abuse. I already know the abuse of heroin is not only a law enforcement problem it is a community problem, and as your Sheriff I will continue to work with members of the community to combat heroin abuse through education.Are any staffing adjustments necessary to address the amount of time deputies spend handling property evictions through the foreclosure process? Is there a way to reduce the backlog of pending sheriff sales?The Sheriff's Office does a great job with the eviction process. The Lieutenant who oversees foreclosures and evictions has received inquiries on how he manages evictions from throughout the country. Currently the Sheriff's Office schedules the evictions, but many times these evictions are pushed back due to continuations and cancellations by lenders, which creates a backlog. The foreclosure and eviction process is about to change due to the new mediation program established by Chief Judge Brawka. The mediation program would offer homeowners a last chance at forestalling foreclosure of their homes. It aims to mediate a deal between the lender and the homeowner, allowing the homeowner to stay in his or her home.Hopefully this program will keep citizens from losing their homes, which in turn will keep the number of vacant homes throughout the county down and not become targets for crime and criminals. It may also go far in helping keep violence under control and our communities safer.Finally, is there anything we haven't asked about that you feel we should know?I am very proud of my longtime service to my communities. I began my commitment to Public Service in 1979, as a Geneva POC Firefighter. Eventually, moving to College Station, Texas when I was hired as was a full-time Firefighter, ultimately being one of the first Paramedics with the department. I returned to Kane County and became an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Batavia Police Department and was promoted to the rank of Auxiliary Sergeant. I am thankful to have received many letters of commendation for the work I have done throughout my career. I have been nominated three times for the Kane County Sheriff's Officer of the Year Award. I have been honored to accept: the Courage Award for risking my life, entering a structure fire in attempt to locate a handicapped subject. The Meritorious Award for driving my personal 4 wheel drive vehicle to rescue numerous deputies who were stranded for over 24 hours in the blizzard of 2011. The Leadership Award for my direction, organization and planning of responding and assisting officers to a home invasion/attempted murder incident; and the Life Saving Award for locating and saving a citizen who was about to commit suicide with a shotgun.The number of senior citizens in Kane County increased from 33,981 at the time of the 2000 Census to 49,690 in 2010. In the last six years I have been very involved with keeping our most vulnerable citizens safe by educating over 5,000 senior citizens throughout Kane County to help to reduce their exploitation. I have been a Keynote Speaker on Elderly Safety at several national conferences and teach other officers throughout Illinois on TRIAD, an organization to teach seniors about safety and financial exploitation. I received the Outstanding Elderly Service Officer Award in 2010 from The Illinois Attorney General.