Dupage Policy Journal

James Mendrick is proud that he’s viewed by many as a natural for the DuPage County sheriff’s job he’s running for.

“Having all the men and women in blue supporting me gives me my motivation,” Mendrick told the DuPage Policy Journal. “I would not want the position without the rank and file behind me. How the sheriff interacts with those around him/her will determine the overall health of our office.”

A 22-year veteran of law enforcement, Mendrick, a Woodridge Republican running in the March 20 GOP primary for the seat held by retiring longtime Sheriff John Zaruba, has based his platform on leadership, expertise and experience.

James Mendrick

“That, to me, is the trifecta,” he said. “What I bring to the office of sheriff is experience, budgeting expertise and leadership. To be a good leader, you have to be a good communicator, a good listener and you have to intricately know the operational and budget processes. I've worked most of the positions at the sheriff's office. I started as a patrol deputy and worked my way up to administrative bureau chief, where I independently managed the office-wide budget process for several years. The sheriff's office is the largest portion of the overall county budget, weighing in at over $40 million. If managed properly, we have the ability to offer enhanced safety services while lowing your taxes.”

In the wake of the recent Florida school shooting that left 17 dead, Mendrick said his top priority is ensuring the safety of children.

“In the police culture, school assignments have typically been considered to be a fairly easy assignment,” he said. “That's certainly not the case anymore. Now, we need highly trained and disciplined officers within our school environments.

Mendrick said one option is for law enforcement to partner with local schools with a plan that makes the schools a harder target.  

“Bulletproof glass would be a good start, as would the ability to lockdown doors electronically,” he said. “Cameras should be in place that can be turned on and monitored during emergencies, and public announcement systems could be utilized to direct children and teachers away from a threat and into controlled safe zones. This should all be run through a locked down administration office. The technology in this office should have the ability to be patched into local law enforcement dispatch centers.”

But in the end, Mendrick said there is no substitute for improved communication between law enforcement, students, teachers, families and community services. “These are our children and we need to change the way we do things if we truly want them to be safe,” he said.

As he's campaigned across the area, Mendrick said the issue most raised by concerned voters is the ongoing opioid crisis.

“The key to having success rests on having a meaningful and multi-tiered strategy for the war against drugs,” he said, pointing out that recent data shows there were 95 opioid related deaths in DuPage County in 2017.

“In today's world, you either evolve your technology or become a victim of it,” he added. “We can't use 20th century strategies and technology for 21st century problems.”

As the current canine commander at the sheriff’s office, Mendrick said he was recently pained to learn that the unit’s only drug detection canine team will be retiring in May and there are no plans to replace the unit.

“The dog itself is very cheap and we train the canine in-house, so it makes no sense to me why we would sacrifice this valuable drug-fighting tool when it would generate significant revenue,” he said.

Mendrick said another one of his biggest motivations is the thought of achieving unity across the county.

“I feel that the office of sheriff is an extremely powerful position,” he said. “We can't afford to have that office mishandled. To make that power meaningful, that power must be shared throughout DuPage County.”