Sheriff Clague
by Mike Kroll
The Zephyr, Galesburg
At the age of 54 and after 33
years in law enforcement, an entire career with the Galesburg Police
Department, Dave Clague wasn't yet ready to retire but he understood all too
well that his future with the GPD was extremely limited. This is undoubtedly
why Clague was immediately interested in the prospect of becoming Knox County
Sheriff once it became known that former Sheriff Jim Thompson was planning to
retire.
Although relatively apolitical
Clague had taken Republican ballots in previous primary campaigns and was
therefore considered a Republican by many Democratic loyalists and therefore
ineligible to be appointed as the interim Sheriff following the retirement of
Thompson, a Democrat. Clague insisted he was a Democrat and an opinion from the
Illinois Attorney General's office essentially said that there was no litmus
test of party membership that superseded a person's declaration of membership.
Clague was thus free to seek both the support of county Democratic party members
and the nomination from county board chair Alan Pickrel, he was successful on
both fronts and now serves as interim Sheriff of Knox County.
Obtaining the interim appointment,
while no guarantee of success at the polls, does provide Clague with a head
start to winning election as Knox County Sheriff in 2008. He has committed
himself to running in the 2008 Democratic primary for Sheriff and will almost
certainly face opposition from other Democratic contenders. He will also face a
Republican challenger as multiple candidates are already committing themselves
to running in the Republican primary for Sheriff. The 2008 Knox County
Sheriff's race is developing into one of the strongest contested local races of
the upcoming election year.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Clague has been
on the job just two weeks so far. ÒEvery day I'm getting more settled in and
becoming more comfortable with this position. It is much different from my
experience with the Galesburg Police Department and I have quickly learned that
it is a very political role. I have never spent so much time in meetings as is
required of the Sheriff and the scope of this office's law enforcement role is
much broader than I am used to yet we have fewer resources available. In my
time here I have already learned that being Sheriff is much more of a balancing
act.Ó
In 2006 when former Galesburg
Police Chief John Schlaf retired Clague through his name into contention for
that job, along with some of his GPD colleagues. Clague wasn't chosen and he
returned to Washington, D.C. To complete a Òpolice executive fellowship programÓ
with the FBI as a fellow on the National Joint Terrorism Task Force. When he
returned from this fellowship Clague found that he was not to resume his previous position as
Special Operations Lieutenant with the GPD but instead was assigned to third
shift patrol commander. This was his first return to patrol duties since 1980
when Clague first became an investigator with the GPD and it wasn't a welcome
new assignment. That is why Clague retired from the GPD earlier this year but
without any intention of actually ÒretiringÓ at all. ÒI knew I wasn't ready to
give up law enforcement just yet but I needed to pursue something different
than the GPD.Ó
The Knox County Sheriff's
Department is a close knit group composed of four components. Corrections
officers who operate the county jail, courthouse security officers, patrol
deputies and investigators. None of these groups are sufficiently large to
perform up to the level many of us would like but then few would volunteer to
pay the necessary additional tax dollars to make this possible. Instead,
whomever the Sheriff is much balance the demands put on his department against
the available resources. In recent years Knox County has suffered from limited
financial resources and some areas of the county budget have not been able to
get as much money as that department felt they needed and this included the
Sheriff's department. During his brief time as acting Sheriff Knox County
Coroner Mark Thomas made it his goal to create and present a realistic budget
for the Sheriff's department. While the Knox County Board hasn't yet settled on
a new budget Clague will have to live within the budget created by Thomas or
most likely less if the county board reduces it due to limited available funds.
One thing that remains constant is
that the number of deputies available for road patrol has never been enough.
While the county population has decreased in recent years the size of the
county remains at approximately 720 square miles and most of that is the
responsibility of the Sheriff's department. ÒIn a city like Galesburg we
frequently have more officers on patrol in a much more compact area than the
Sheriff has deputies to cover the entire county. Fewer officers plus a larger
territory also means that available backup may be more than a half-hour away.
This is one of the reasons deputies take their squad cars home. They are
expected to be available to respond from home when necessary to cover an
incident or backup a fellow officer even if they are off duty. We also depend
upon the Illinois State Police and small town police officers for backup. Every
police officer in Knox County should also be a sworn deputy in the Sheriff's
department for this purpose and many already are.Ó
ÒPatrol is the most visible task
the Sheriff's office performs yet it is also one that is not mandated by state
law. If money becomes tighter we must operate the jail and courthouse but road
patrol and investigations are really a matter of local priority and taxpayer
understanding. For Knox County residents outside of Galesburg the Knox County
Sheriff's Department is frequently the first responder to any emergency
incident and primarily responsible for investigating crimes. Sheriff's deputies
are often the only lifeline for rural elderly and the first available emergency
medical treatment. While these tasks may not be required by law I see them as
an obligation to our residents that must be taken very seriously.Ó
Clague has seen firsthand the
history of problems that once plagued the Knox County Jail and is very happy to
be inheriting the new jail. While there remain areas for improvement the new
jail is a much better and larger operation than its predecessor and the lack of
inmate incidents compared to the prior jail speaks volumes about the
improvements. The size has also permitted the Sheriff to contract with the
United States Marshall's Service to temporarily house Federal prisoners. ÒThe
Federal inmate program is not only cost effective but a real source of net
income for the county up to about 30-32 inmates. I hope we can continue this
program because it is good for both my department and the county as a whole.Ó
Galesburg and Knox County have
long suffered from poor intergovernment relations but Clague would like to see
that change between his new department and his old department. ÒWe owe it to
the citizens to maintain strong relationships with all area law enforcement
agencies and that includes the Galesburg Police Department. I will seek to
reestablish that relationship and I hope to make greater use of the state
police crime scene technician as well. Criminals don't pay much mind to
political borders and we need to work together for every agencies benefit. To
the best of my knowledge the Sheriff's department already has strong
relationships with Sheriffs in neighboring counties and I intend to build upon
that.Ó
ÒI'm taking over a department of
professionals that currently works well. As Sheriff it will be my task to build
upon this foundation. I see this as both a new life challenge and a step up in
responsibility. My plan is to earn the respect and support of the residents of
Knox County and win the office of Sheriff in the 2008 election.Ó
9/13/07