Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the March 17 primary election.
In the upcoming March 17 primary election, two candidates are facing off for the Democratic nomination for Kane County sheriff: current Undersheriff Amy Johnson and Salvador Rodriguez, who previously held a number of roles in the Sheriff’s Office.
The seat is open in the 2026 election, as current Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain said last spring that he would not be running for a third term. Hain, a Democrat, was first elected in 2018.
Whoever wins the nomination in the March primary will go up against either current Elburn Village Trustee Luis Santoyo or former Kane County Coroner Rob Russell, who are in the running for the Republican nomination for sheriff.
Amy Johnson
Johnson, 44, was born and raised in Kane County, and has served her entire career in the Kane County Sheriff’s Office since she became an evidence custodian, and then a deputy in 2004.
She’s worked in the county in a variety of roles, like as a detective, a crime scene evidence technician and a field training officer.
In a recent interview, Johnson explained that she originally wanted to become a teacher or an attorney, and “never thought” she would become a police officer. She said her classes in college “just weren’t clicking” — until she started taking criminal justice courses and “immediately … was hooked.”
In 2022, after holding various roles in the Sheriff’s Office, Johnson was appointed undersheriff by Hain, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the county.
Now, she’s looking to hold the office’s top seat — and has the current sheriff’s backing. Hain is also listed as the chair of her campaign committee, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Johnson pointed to her many years working in different levels within the office as having enabled her to see “what works, what doesn’t work and what we can pivot on.”
She also noted her past experience helping establish the county’s domestic violence unit, and her involvement in helping move forward the county’s plans to build a regional forensics lab, which is currently in progress.
Among the priorities Johnson cited as part of her bid for sheriff are maintaining jail conditions and continuing the county’s reentry and rehabilitation efforts, as well as looking at recruitment and retention practices for employees in the office.
As far as recruiting, Johnson noted specifically that it’s important the Sheriff’s Office maintain a “healthy dose” of new hires and deputies hired from area law enforcement agencies. She also said she would look to improve scheduling, reduce unnecessary overtime and “make sure supervisors have the flexibility to shift resources” when crime patterns change.
When it comes to challenges facing the Sheriff’s Office, Johnson cited funding and fiscal responsibility as issues that are expected to continue.
She cited the many union contracts within the Sheriff’s Office up for renewal going forward, and said it would be a priority to “be transparent with” the Kane County Board about funding issues.
“As a sheriff, I would always have those conversations before I needed any type of funding, too, because I think it’s very important to let our county board know, ‘Hey, this is the type of funding I need … whether it’s equipment, other training (facilities), a whole bunch of other things,” Johnson explained. “We’re already doing that, but I would just continue to make sure I’m speaking, I’m being transparent, I’m data-driven and we always have those open conversations, because we have to support one another.”
She also noted the costs of some of the modern technology tools the Sheriff’s Office uses — like its body cameras and license plate readers — and said the Sheriff’s Office is looking at available state grants to offset the costs of some equipment and resources.
“I want to make sure we’re smart with our money, but also any grants out there we have people already looking for them,” she said.
Salvador Rodriguez
Salvador Rodriguez, 61, who is going up against Johnson for the Democratic nomination, also has a background in the Kane County Sheriff’s Office. He is recently retired from the office, he explained in a recent interview with The Beacon-News, after working there for nearly 30 years, and currently works part-time as a police officer for the Fox Valley Park District.
Now living in Sugar Grove, Rodriguez grew up in Aurora, and held a number of roles in the Kane County Sheriff’s Office throughout his career. He’s worked, for example, as a field training officer, a detective, a sergeant and finished his tenure in the office as a lieutenant, he said.
That work on a variety of levels within the organization has given Rodriguez “first-hand experience in operations, accountability, training and leadership,” he said. And of his almost 30 years in law enforcement, 10 of those were in supervisory roles, which Rodriguez said prepares him to lead the Sheriff’s Office “on day one.”
He also described himself as a lifelong Democrat, and said he is running for the seat to bring “a new direction” to the Sheriff’s Office, one focused on “building strong relationships with all communities” and fiscal responsibility.
Rodriguez emphasized increasing patrols in unincorporated areas to improve deputies’ visibility and reduce their response times would be a priority of his, as would establishing a citizen review board to allow residents to have greater say in public safety decisions and keeping the community informed of what’s going on in the Sheriff’s Office.
“Especially … right now, ICE is … it’s on everybody’s mind,” Rodriguez said of the recent federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area and across the country. “I want to be transparent with the communities … that are being targeted and say, ‘Hey, I’m enforcing state and local laws’ … because that’s how you build trust.”
He also said that he would continue programs that “address the cycle of adult incarceration, while also investing more in our youth, especially those who are underserved and at high risk.”
As for the office’s challenges, Rodriguez cited overtime and staffing within the county jail as an issue the department is facing.
“Mandatory overtime has become far too common, negatively impacting performance, retention and employee well-being,” he said.
To address that issue, Rodriguez said he would restore “appropriate minimum staffing levels that were reduced.”
The same problem exists in patrol, according to Rodriguez, who said that, if elected sheriff, he would prioritize staffing, recruitment and retention.
“If we don’t have the correct staffing, then everything kind of goes half-heartedly in reference to implementing programs, protecting those who we serve, protecting those who we oversee … in the county jail and protecting or securing our courts,” he said.
Rodriguez noted that he would first look at how deputies can be used “better,” and then see whether additional staff is needed. That might look like diverting some tasks currently being performed by deputies to civilians.
But he also cited his intention to be “transparent” on how the Sheriff’s Office budget is spent, saying he brings “a new set of eyes” to the budget and that he would address overspending — like reducing vehicle expenses by limiting the number of squad cars taken home by non-officers — before appealing to the Kane County Board for more funds.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
