:quality(70):focal(2637x1010:2647x1020)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/A53J43BWDZGYZD6GBKJL2SFUGI.jpg)
Current La Salle County Coroner Rich Ploch of Peru on Thursday announced his candidacy for reelection in 2024.
Ploch has been with the coroner’s office for more than 21 years and hopes to continue to bring his years of experience and countless training hours to provide professional death investigations.
“I am seeking reelection because I want to continue to serve the families of any citizen who has lost a loved one,” Ploch said in a statement. “I want to continue my work to improve the death investigation system through training, technology and innovation. I look forward to continuing to serve the public.”
Ploch is a board-certified death investigator through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. He holds a professional license with the state of Illinois as a medical first responder and also is an instructor for the American Heart Association.
He is an active member of the Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners Association.
During his time with the coroner’s office, he has worked to upgrade the technology, training and available resources for the office and his team of employees.
This past year, Ploch was able to secure a new facility in Oglesby to better serve not only his staff but also the families of the decedents who need his care in their time of loss.
Ploch said that he has continued to work within the given county budget line items and that he also has secured several grants in order to ease the financial burden upon the taxpayers of the county.
He said he also has established and continues the profession through working relationships with the local funeral homes and other elected officials.
Ploch is a graduate of La Salle-Peru Township High School and Illinois Valley Community College.
He lives with his wife, Jodee, in Peru and has four children. He is a member of the Peru Sunrise Rotary Club, Illinois Police Association and Zion United Church in Peru.
More campaign information will be available in the future. He can be reached at rploch52@gmail.com.