Sheriff Doug Maier was the guest speaker on Thursday, June 1st at the weekly Kiwanis luncheon. Sheriff Maier stated that it has been an honor to serve as the White County Sheriff for 14 ½ years and prior to that he was a deputy for 21 years. He is currently serving as the President of the Illinois Sheriff Association (ISA) and is the first White County sheriff to hold this position since the association began in 1928. ISA is a resource to local sheriff departments and plays a large part in lobbying legislators in Springfield.
The ISA represents 102 sheriffs across the state. In his role as president of the ISA, he has had the privilege to visit around 25 of the sheriff departments and jails across northern Illinois. White County is a 70 bed jail and he visited places that have 800 bed jails but no matter the size they all face similar problems. Sheriff Maier has committed to present a flag to families at funerals on behalf of the ISA to any active or retired sheriff or active duty deputy who might lose their life during his term as president.
When elected in 2002, he would say meth was a horrible problem and consumed much of the department’s time. He reports it has improved drastically but is still out there. The department gets almost daily calls about drug activity.
The White County Sheriff’s department is made up of two sergeants, Burt Hubert and Craig Poole, and three deputies, Randy Graves, Scotty Cantrell, and Justin Spencer. Sheila Jo Headlee is the Administrative Assistant and “runs the department” per Sheriff Maier. With only five men to cover seven days per week, 24 hours per day, including holidays the great relationship they have with the City of Carmi and Carmi Police Department is critical. He praised Mayor Jeff Pollard and Chief of Police Jason Carter for working hand in hand with the sheriff department. According to Maier, the states attorney, Denton Aud is a strong friend of law enforcement and he appreciates him. Maier also praised the community for their support of the department.
In response to questions, Sheriff Maier reports that conceal carry has been no problem for the department and he actually feels that it is a very good thing for Illinois. Technology has been wonderful for the department and has increased their safety.
