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Political party
Democratic
Age
35
Town of residence
Clarendon Hills
Current occupation and employer
Lieutenant – Glencoe Department of Public Safety
Education
Master's Degree in Public Safety Administration – Lewis University
Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science Management – Southern Illinois University
School of Police Staff and Command – Northwestern University Center for Public Safety
Immediate family
Wife – Tiffany
5 Children
Website
Civic involvement and volunteer work
Previous member of the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team, Previous Sabre Girls Youth Hockey Manager
Previous elected offices held
None
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
The sheriff’s race is an extremely important race as it is imperative the next sheriff places the utmost importance on protecting the rights of all regardless of gender, race and immigration status. It is extremely important your next sheriff is committed to accountability and transparency. I have over 15 years of public safety experience and currently hold the rank of Lieutenant/Training Officer for a north suburban agency. I am a police officer who is additionally crossed-trained as a firefighter and paramedic. I have a comprehensive understanding and the ability to bring all public safety entities together during major incidents.
If elected, I will implement a county-wide mass violence prevention and response program. Continued crisis intervention team (CIT) training will be a top priority to de-escalate potentially violent encounters with those experiencing a mental health crisis. I will implement a body camera program to increase transparency and accountability.
What steps should be taken at DuPage County schools to increase school safety? What role should the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office play in that process?
DuPage County schools and law enforcement need to develop strong partnerships to include open communication regarding safety and security. As partners, the school and law enforcement can educate all school personnel and the student body on ways to recognize indicators of school violence. Placing a strong emphasis on reporting suspicious behavior, activity or threats, so investigations can be conducted is extremely important. We must also ensure our partnership includes a mental health component so individuals who are exhibiting behavioral concerns can receive assistance from a mental health professional. It is important to note, it is not law enforcement’s goal while operating in the school environment to introduce students to the criminal justice system. The goal is to correct inappropriate behavior prior to it becoming criminal in nature.
The sheriff’s office also needs to ensure comprehensive, county-wide mass violence prevention and response plans are in place before they are needed.
How would you characterize DuPage County’s response to the heroin crisis thus far? What else needs to be done?
I believe the DuPage County HOPE Program is a step in the right direction but is not the end all solution for addressing the opioid epidemic. I believe we need to have an aggressive public service campaign teaching the public the risks of prescription opioids, how to dispose of unused prescriptions, how to identify early signs and symptoms of addiction and how to get someone the appropriate help. We need to put pressure on the medical profession to decrease the quantity of prescription opioids in a single filling. Those who are prescribed opioids need to be closely monitored and should be required to have in-person follow ups to obtain refills. Lastly, we need to develop stronger partnerships with social services and implement a program in which we can have an on-call crisis worker respond to the scene immediately to begin working with the individual suffering from addiction and their family.