With the love, support, and compassion of my family and friends who are concerned about our future, as well as committed to building a better life together for our families, I am seeking election to the office of Sheriff of Whiteside County. I am excited for the opportunity to work together with the community and its citizens, to make Whiteside County a safer place to live, work, and play.
I believe a quote from Douglas MacArthur is the best summation of my leadership style, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set forth to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.” I don’t consider myself a politician–I’m just a cop who cares. A cop that cares about doing the right thing, no matter what.
There’s no question that I am qualified for the job. I have 26 years of experience in Law Enforcement; five years with the United States Air Force (USAF) Security Police and then 21 years of civilian Law Enforcement. In the USAF, I was recognized as Tactical Air Command Airman of the Year and earned other various awards as well. After my Honorable Discharge from the USAF, I started working with the De Witt, IA, Police Department, where I was a School Resource Officer and was promoted to Sergeant. Being an officer for the De Witt Police Department was a very rewarding position. However, in 2001 I given the opportunity to return back to where I called home and started working with the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.
Over the years, I have been very involved with my family and farm, but I’ve also been very active with the community and in my work as a Law Enforcement Officer. Following is a synopsis of my tenure at the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office:
• 2009 promoted to Sergeant
• Member of State of Illinois Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team established after 9/11
• Whiteside County Tactical Team member and then Assistant Team Leader
• Nationally certified Taser Instructor
• Nationally certified Standardized Field Sobriety Instructor (instructor other Law Enforcement Officers in DUI enforcement)
• 2016 State of Illinois Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) Awardee
• Numerous other awards and certificates (which can be viewed at www.schmidtforsheriff.org > Cerficates and Awards)
Besides work at the Sheriff’s Office, family life, part-time jobs, and farm life, I also worked towards and received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management, with a minor in Criminal Justice with distinction. I am proud of this accomplishment because of how hard I worked, but I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of family and friends.
Through all of this, as your next Sheriff of Whiteside County, I promise to continue that hard working drive and exceed your expectations, in everything the Sheriff’s Office does. Together, we will continue to be fiscally conservative with how we spend our hard working tax payers’ dollars, but strive to continue to provide the best Law Enforcement service possible!
I also vow to tackle the drug epidemic through enforcement teamwork with citizens. We will identify problem areas and step up enforcement, but will be compassionate with addicts that need and desire help to overcome that addiction, through the Safe Passages Program. This is “Police Giving Addicts Hope Through the Tools for Recovery.”
Lastly, I want to move forward on “humanizing the badge” by bridging the gap between Law Enforcement and the citizens, through team work initiatives and community events that show that we are just people, too. It’s important that people can approach an Officer or Deputy and feel protected, not scared. Our County needs that progress; progress of teamwork and compassion for our fellow human beings. That’s why our motto is Working Together. Moving Forward.
Thank you for your support,
Kris Schmidt, Sergeant, Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office