Hopefuls for Whiteside County sheriff have tactical differences: Candidates face off for first time at voter forum

DIXON – Whiteside County’s SWAT commander, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for sheriff, wants to fight gangs and drugs on the streets with a heavily armed contingent of the Tactical Weapons Team.

John Booker, who will challenge Republican incumbent Kelly Wilhelmi, said during a voter forum Sunday at Sauk Valley Community College that an intimidating sheriff’s presence in “hotbeds” of gang and drug activity is the best way to rid the county of a growing gang threat.

Booker and Wilhelmi agree that a swell in gangs and drugs is the basis for most crime in Whiteside County, but they differ vastly on how best to combat it.

Neither candidate is opposed on the Feb. 2 primary ballot.

Wilhelmi wants to improve teacher and parent awareness of early-warning signs and improve neighborhood watch programs to cover all county communities. He’s scheduled to address the 50 people of Deer Grove about it today.

“I want to be able to catch these kids before it’s too late,” Wilhelmi said.

“There is a lot of [gang] recruiting in this area, and we need people to be able to identify those pitchforks or crowns,” Wilhelmi said, referring to frequently used symbols of gang allegiance.

“We want to let them know we’re there watching,” Booker said. “We will work together, and we will not rest until every criminal knows and fears the fact that there is a new sheriff in town.”

Booker bills his tactical vision as the Street Crime Enforcement Unit, which would come largely from members of the county’s Tactical Response Team and would be dedicated to identifying criminal trends and problem areas.

Much of Wilhelmi’s motivation for choosing education over engagement is money.

The Sheriff’s Department carved $250,000 (or 6 percent) from its $4 million budget this year, as Whiteside County faces a $1.1 million deficit.

“We’re at least 5 years from turning this around,” Wilhelmi said. “There’s a lot more to being sheriff than being out there on the street.”

He pointed to the record of former Sheriff Roger Schipper, who recommended Wilhelmi for appointment in August 2008. Schipper wrote one ticket in 18 years as sheriff, Wilhelmi said.