Kendall County Undersheriff Teams Up With Local Lawmakers On New Legislation

Press release from the Kendall County Sheriff's Office:

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — Undersheriff Bobby Richardson and State Senator Linda Holmes worked together this spring to expedite the process for job-seeking veterans to qualify for open law enforcement positions. Their work produced Senate Bill 2778, which was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker earlier this month. The new law ensures these men and women, who have already demonstrated a dedication to service and a desire to protect our communities, are eligible to request an examination with a sheriff’s office within six months of an honorable discharge. This means veterans will not have to wait for the current testing cycle to be completed before they can apply, which can take up to two years.

“As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, this is an extremely personal and incredibly important topic for me,” said Undersheriff Bobby Richardson. “We have an obligation to those who have honorably served our country, and this measure will assist veterans interested in continuing their service by streamlining the examination process to become a deputy sheriff. This is not only vital for our veterans but will also assist Sheriffs around the state with recruiting quality candidates who are well-suited for this profession. I would like to thank Senator Linda Holmes for her support and guidance, as we worked together to implement this important legislation.”

“It is always an honor to work with law enforcement on legislation, and this bill is a personal and important example,” said State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). “This process for job-seeking veterans puts them in the candidate pool for law enforcement positions, and for those agencies to be better staffed to ensure our communities can be safer, better places to live. An opportunity to sponsor a measure like this is fulfilling personally and a top priority for me as a senator. My thanks to Bobby for bringing this bill to my attention.”

“I greatly appreciate the work of the Kendall County Sheriff's Office and sponsorship by Senator Holmes and Representative Moylan to provide a tool to Sheriffs in recruiting those that have honorably served our country,” said Jim Kaitschuk, Executive Director of the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association. “SB 2778 provides a much more expedient mechanism to allow Sheriffs to test and hire those that we know have already established themselves as protectors of our communities and providing them that opportunity to continue to do so.”

This press release was produced by the Kendall County Sheriff's Office. The views expressed here are the author’s own.