http://www.connellfordupage.com/
Tim Connell has served as a deputy sheriff in DuPage County since 1987.
He's worked as a detective in violent crimes and served as lead investigator in a number resulting in arrests and convictions, including the first ever prosecution for shaking a baby to death.
Before joining the Sheriff's department, Tim was a member of the Downers Grove Police Department (1985-87), worked as director of security for Wackenhut Corp. (1981-85), and served as a firefighter/EMT for the Belmont Fire District in unincorporated DuPage County (1980-85).
Tim is a graduate of Benet Academy and attended classes at Lewis University in Romeoville.
Professional and Civic Organizations
There Will Be A New Sheriff In Town
12/20/2005 2:15:00 PM Lisle, IL… Veteran DuPage County Deputy Sheriff Tim Connell, a Republican candidate for DuPage County Sheriff, filed his necessary candidacy papers and nominating petitions yesterday afternoon at the DuPage County Election Commission.
“I'm excited about this campaign,” said Connell. “I have gotten great feedback from DuPage County residents on my positive vision for improving officer training, emphasizing victims' rights, and combating violent crime.”
Connell added, “I look forward to a spirited campaign focused on the leadership needed to make DuPage County families safer and our community stronger.”
Connell filed with nearly 40% more signatures than legally required to run for Sheriff.
An indicator of Connell's commitment to this mission is his willingness to forgo a paycheck for nearly six months. Connell has taken a required unpaid administrative leave from the Sheriff's office (which began in September) in order to pursue the elected office of DuPage County Sheriff.
Connell has been with the DuPage County Sheriff's office since 1987. He and his wife of 26 years, Sharon, live in Lisle and are the parents to two adult daughters.
Connell Calls for Change in DuPage in Campaign Kickoff
9/13/2005 12:32:00 PM - Connell for DuPage County Sheriff
Tim Connell announces his candidacy for DuPage County Sheriff.
Good morning, thank you all for coming.
I have spent my entire adult life in law enforcement because, as I learned in high school from the Benedictines, there is no experience more rewarding than helping people.
Despite all that we read in the papers about political corruption, I still believe that public service is a high calling.
My colleagues in law enforcement and other public safety personnel put their lives on the line to protect others. Along with our armed forces, I cannot think of a higher calling.
And while no one gets rich being in law enforcement, there is a payoff that transcends dollars. That payoff comes from protecting people and in bringing closure and a sense of justice for people who we were unable to protect from being victimized.
I’ve had the good fortune during my career to be the lead officer on VIP security details for several visiting dignitaries including former President George Bush and his wife Barbara, and former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev.
But the toughest and most rewarding experiences of my career have been those focused on making things right for victims of crime.
Fighting for people like the Pirkins family is what this job is all about and, Wendy, I am truly honored and humbled by your presence here today.
Your words and my family’s support inspire me. They inspire me to strive to make a positive difference in the lives of my friends and neighbors and every person who calls DuPage County their home.
And so today, I strive to take my effort to the next level by formally announcing my candidacy for the Republican nomination for DuPage County Sheriff.
Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren once said that, “It is the spirit, not the form of the law that keeps justice alive.”
In DuPage County, I think we have forgotten the wisdom of this observation. We have gotten caught up in statistics and clearance rates and jurisdictional battles and we have forgotten about the individual lives that are impacted by crime.
Compassion is a part of justice. That means taking the time to work with victims of terrible crimes and their families through what are often the most difficult and tragic periods of their lives.
We have a leadership in the Sheriff’s office more interested in protecting and serving the bureaucracy than in upholding the oath to protect and serve DuPage county families.
This must change with the changing times and emerging threats.
DuPage County has undergone major changes over the 36 years that I have been a resident. Our county’s population has doubled during that time.
With that growth come challenges. Gang crime is one major law enforcement problem that has emerged and escalated in recent years.
Additionally, local law enforcement agencies are being asked to do more today then ever before. We have homeland security responsibilities.
Police used to worry only about being outgunned by criminals. Today, we have to be vigilant with respect to terrorists who can cause catastrophic damage and have shown the will to take thousands of lives at a time.
Of course, we just remembered those who lost their lives, including the heroic law enforcement personnel and first responders, on Sunday, four years removed from 9/11.
DuPage County is the second most populous county in Illinois and one of the wealthiest in the nation. One of the lessons of 9/11 is that we cannot afford to be so cavalier as to think we are immune from the terrorist threat.
It is because of the sense of urgency that I have about these very real threats, locally and globally, that I have decided to seek the office of Sheriff.
The DuPage County Sheriff’s office needs to adapt to the changing needs of DuPage families, and the increased demands to provide for the public’s safety.
Unfortunately, at this critical moment in time, we have departmental leadership struggling to maintain the status quo with virtually no plans to improve officer training; little emphasis on victim’s rights, and a total lack of vision for the adjustments law enforcement must make to be more effective against emerging criminal threats.
Coordination between the Sheriff’s office and municipal police departments is not where it should be. As we have seen with the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the inability of local, state, and federal government to properly coordinate cost hundreds and maybe thousands of people their lives.
The same principles apply with respect to local law enforcement.
You don’t run a major law enforcement agency waiting for something to happen and then reacting. Instead, there should be consistent, ongoing training, planning, and communication up and down the chains of command.
We lack this critical leadership in the DuPage County Sheriff’s office and there is no reason we should.
I chose my mother’s home to make my announcement today because ultimately, our surrounding today, is really what law enforcement is about-it is about protecting families and making communities and neighborhoods like Rose Court in Lisle safe.
It is about bringing those who break the social contract to respect other people and their property, to justice in the hopes of discouraging others from similar destructive behavior.
It is about being a connector in the community to make sure officers work with parents, teachers, civic and religious leaders to make sure young people steer clear from the lure of gangs and drugs.
And it is about a willingness to sacrifice, and inspire others to sacrifice, to be a part of something bigger than you are as an individual…that’s what public service is supposed to be about.
It is this sense of duty that led me to take a seven-month unpaid leave of absence from the Sheriff’s office to take on this race. Very little worthwhile comes without sacrifice-that’s another thing the Benedictines taught me.
I am proud of what I have accomplished during my career in law enforcement. You can read my resume included in your packets. But those are just words on a piece of paper.
What I take away from my career is the human impact. Commendations are nice for the wall in the basement but what I am truly proud of is that I have had the opportunity to help people.
What I am most proud of, however, is what I have accomplished as a husband and father. I married above myself 26 years ago when Sharon said yes. I am proud of the two girls we have raised, as well as my new son-in-law. I am proud of my brothers and sisters and their families.
I thank God that my mother and father taught all of us the values of hard work and compassion and instilled in each of us a sense of duty and responsibility to each other and our larger community. I didn’t always get it when I was growing up but I’m reminded of the importance of the values leadership they provided every time I see a 14-year old gang-banger who wasn’t fortunate enough to be mentored the way I was.
Much of what I have said today is sobering. Talking about the challenges facing the DuPage County Sheriff’s office is serious stuff and should be taken seriously.
But I also truly believe this is an exciting time.
We have dedicated, professional officers in the Sheriff’s office who are looking for leadership upon which they can rely.
We have dedicated, professional officers in the municipal police departments throughout DuPage County who are looking for leadership from the Sheriff’s office they can trust.
Change brings opportunity.
The opportunity exists for the DuPage County Sheriff’s office to be a national model for officer training; for victim advocacy; for interagency cooperation; and for homeland security preparedness if we have the courage to support the change in leadership needed to cope with our changing times.
I look forward to a spirited campaign with my opponent. I will honor the support of those who have supported me by fighting relentlessly for the principles, ideas and ideals which I have spoken about here today.
God Bless DuPage County. God Bless Illinois. And God Bless America.
Thank you.
Timothy M. “Tim” Connell
Issue 1: Leadership: I am running for sheriff to bring a new and energized leadership to a department that must adapt to the changing needs of DuPage residents. We have a department struggling to maintain the status quo with no plans to improve officer training, little emphasis on victim's rights and a total lack of vision for proactive crime fighting. Some of my main priorities for the department are to improve officer training, create victim advocacy programs, promote prevention of gang crimes and increase cooperation between municipal police departments and the sheriff's office.
Issue 2: Initiatives: I would hire a full-time grant writer to bring back some of our money that we sent to Washington. I would work to build a countywide training facility that would train both deputies and municipal officers so all can be on the same page. I would expand the SWAT and bomb teams to include other departments inside the county. I would impanel a citizens advisory group to meet on a regular basis to discuss current trends and issues in the county concerning law enforcement. I would realign the law enforcement division and put more officers on the street. There would be less emphasis on traffic tickets and more emphasis on patrolling the subdivisions. A separate traffic unit would be set up. Along the same area, I would increase the cold case unit and would have a detective unit specifically assigned to identity theft. I would have a special victim's unit established to advocate for seniors and the very young, the two most vulnerable groups today.
Issue 3: Training: I will build a new training facility and staff it with veteran officers and retired officers who are willing and able to give new officers the benefit of their wisdom and experience. During the final years of an officer's career, they can share insight and knowledge with the rookies. This is cost-effective, as a retired officer, with their wealth of knowledge, can be paid at a minimum.
From: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/politics/naperville/n17dupsher.html