Champaign County Sheriff's Race

 

The 2022 election for Champaign County Sheriff is ramping up as we head into the midterms and local primaries and general election later this year. There has been a great deal of news related to the Champaign County Sheriff's Office in the news lately:

• This month Illinois Newsroom highlighted the CU Citizen Access article on the lack of accountability after years of misconduct by a deputy in the office.
• The County Board approved a plan for new office space for the Sheriff's Office.
• The County Board also recently approved a jail consolidation plan.
• Law enforcement and corrections morale and staffing have been a major issue locally as well as across the country.
• Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman spoke to WCIA about initiatives to expand access to mental health care before a situation becomes an issue for law enforcement or the jail.

Latest Sheriff Candidate Updates:

Former law enforcement officer and current Savoy Village President John Brown may enter the race. From the News-Gazette a couple weeks ago:

More than three decades after his late father left office as Champaign County sheriff, Savoy Village President John Brown has begun circulating petitions to run for sheriff himself.

Brown, a Republican, said Wednesday he’s “99 percent” sure he will run and has already let current Democratic Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman know, as a courtesy.

The son of the late three-term county Sheriff Joe Brown, John Brown will have served in law enforcement 32 years by the time the election rolls around — with 22 of those years in a supervisory and command role — he said.

That full article with a lot of additional candidate information here.

Greg Worrell is running for Sheriff again as well. The News-Gazette had coverage last week:

A Thomasboro man who is launching his second bid for the Republican nomination for Champaign County sheriff said he will be more accountable to the public than others who have held the position...

Worrell, who has spent most of his life in law enforcement and security jobs, first sought the GOP nomination for sheriff in 2018, losing to former Chief Deputy Allen Jones, who received about three-fourths of the vote.

Jones was defeated in the general election by current Sheriff Dustin Heuerman, a Democrat. Heuerman is seeking re-election.

Worrell said he has never heard of a Champaign County sheriff being willing to meet regularly with the public the way he plans to if elected. He believes the public will be able to hold the sheriff more accountable.

Full article with additional information here.