Police Chief: Sheriff Mike Kelley Will Lose Re-Election

JOLIET, IL - One of the biggest local races in the Nov. 6 general election is between incumbent Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley and Jim Reilly, one of his Will County Sheriff's deputies. In the process of trying to knock his boss out of a job, Reilly also has the public endorsement of Fred Hayes.

Hayes is a long-time, active duty high-ranking police official around Joliet and Will County.

Hayes worked at the Joliet Police Department from 1980 through 2011. His last five years were as chief. Since retiring from Joliet, Hayes took over as chief of Elwood's Police Department.

In an interview last week with Joliet Patch, Hayes boldly predicted Sheriff Kelley will lose his bid to win a second four-year term of office in the upcoming election.

Hayes said there is strong dissatisfaction with Kelley's administrative performance and his leadership ability during these past four years across many of the police agencies in Will County. Hayes said many people within the sheriff's department have had enough of Kelley as well.

"I just think we can do better with Sheriff Reilly," Hayes told Joliet Patch. "Everybody I'm talking to, from the cities and law enforcement, is really encouraged by what they're hearing. I'm excited about his campaign and I truly believe he's going to be our next sheriff. I really think he's going to prevail."

Hayes said Sheriff Kelley has not worked closely with other police departments across Will County during these past four years. Hayes believes one of the reasons why the Sema'j Crosby homicide investigation got off to such a slow start and never recovered is because Sheriff Kelley does not have the leadership skills to take charge of a major, high profile criminal investigation.

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Hayes emphasized Semaj's case is one of many major cases that have gone unsolved under Kelley's watch.

Joliet Patch has written a number of articles about the Will County Sheriff's Department inability to solve major violent crimes this year.

"I've called him the absent-minded sheriff; they have an absent sheriff who is rarely in," Hayes said. "He does not address his personnel. They're telling me it's a ship without a rudder ... They're not sure what direction they are headed in right now.

"Where's the sheriff at?" Hayes asked. "With Sema'j, where's the sheriff? I think a big part of the problem is the failure of him taking a leadership role. I think it's a lack of experience on his part."

Joliet Patch reached out to Sheriff Kelley for his reaction.

Kelley acknowledged he has not attended some of the regular Will County Police Chief Association meetings, but that's only because he has Will County Board executive committee meetings on the same day, which creates a scheduling conflict. The county's meetings often overlap with the police chief meetings, he said.

"I do go to some of them, but I don't go to all of them," Kelley said.

Kelley said he has a great relationship with many of the police officers and police chiefs throughout Will County, including the Lockport Police Department and its police chief, as one example.

Kelley also said he puts his faith and his trust in the members of his upper administration to oversee the criminal investigations unit and make the important decisions regarding the Sema'j Crosby case and the other major cases.

If the voters analyze both candidates, Kelley said, people will realize he is the only candidate on the Nov. 6 ballot who has vast experience and expertise to lead the second largest sheriff's department in Illinois.

Will County consists of more than 600 full-time sheriff's employees plus another 50 part-time help.

Kelley said he joined Will County Sheriff''s Department at age 21, Now, 30 years later, he remains on the job and wants to serve for another four years in office.

"I never left law enforcement and tried another profession ... a 16-year break. I'm here to serve and protect the citizens. I've got 30 years of experience. He's got 13. I've got 11 years of supervisory experience. He has none," Kelley said of Reilly.

Reilly previously worked for the Joliet Police Department, where Hayes also worked. Then Reilly left the profession to work in the private sector for several years. Former Will County Sheriff Paul Kaupas hired Reilly back in law enforcement around 2013, before Kelley was elected the sheriff.

As for his opponent, Sheriff Kelley said that Deputy Reilly has zero leadership experience and zero management time at the Will County Sheriff's Department.

"He's never worked a minute (in management) at the Sheriff's Department," Kelley said. "Thirteen years of law enforcement and not one second of any supervisory experience. I want to run on my merit and accomplishments.

"I was a detective on this department for six years and a supervisor another six years, so I have 12 years experience in investigations," Kelley said.

In 2017, Kelley noted he was named the Illinois sheriff of the year by the Illinois Crime Commission. Under his tenure, the sheriff's department has upgraded its technology and equipment and moved into a new building off Laraway Road where the department has been able to consolidate a number of areas allowing the Will County Sheriff's Department to operate more efficiently, Kelley said.

"My record speaks for itself," Kelley said.

The Reilly campaign, Kelley said, "is just throwing stuff on the wall to see if it sticks."

Still, Kelley, a Democrat from Lockport, said he is not taking a victory for granted.

Reilly, who is from Wilmington, is running on the Republican ticket.

"It's going to be a tough contest," Kelley said. "I feel confident in our efforts. We're working hard for this re-election. Our work speaks for itself, second to none."

Chief Hayes told Joliet Patch there are lots of police officers around Will County who will be voting for Reilly but are not in a position in their law enforcement careers like he is, where he can publicly endorse Reilly's candidacy.

Hayes said that many of the Will County Sheriff's deputies fear retaliation or retribution from Kelley and his upper administration if they publicly back Reilly's candidacy between now and Nov. 6.

In recent weeks, with the sheriff's race tightening, the Will County Sheriff's Police Management Association kicked in another $5,000 donation to Sheriff Kelley's re-election, on Sept. 13, Joliet Patch has previously reported.

The Will County Sheriff's Police Management Association is currently the sixth highest all-time donor to Mike Kelley's political campaign coffers at $11,675.

Reilly has made it clear that he will likely look outside the current Will County Sheriff's Department for members of his administration, if elected.

Sheriff Kelley's entire command staff, counting Kelley, consists of eight white men.

"It's extremely lacking in representing the demographics of Will County, and I will be addressing that," Reilly told Patch during a September interview. "I find it embarrassing that Sheriff Kelley does not have a person of color in his administration. That will change in my administration.

"We need to do a better job of serving our minority community."

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Image of Elwood Police Chief Fred Hayes, right, and Jim Reilly, left, provided to Joliet Patch