MARION – Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich says during his first week in office, he sat in the corner of a quiet rural church parking lot during the early morning hours as deputies of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office conducted surveillance on unrelated criminal activity occurring a mile away. While waiting, the sheriff observed a farmer on an ATV inspecting his equipment to the rear of his farmhouse, directly adjacent to the parking lot.
Sheriff Diederich says farmers routinely work day and night preparing for the major tasks ahead of them. What was different that evening is that when the “farmer” realized the sheriff was present, he fled and a pursuit ensued. You see, it was not a farmer, but rather, someone who lacked the respect for the hard work each of us do day after day and decided the farmer’s equipment was a great target according to the sheriff. The pursuit was short as the suspect turned into the woods to never be seen again. The sheriff vowed at that moment to never find himself in that position again.
So on Wednesday, Sheriff Diederich announced that the sheriff’s office is implementing a new program called the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Criminal Patrol Program.
The sheriff says the undertaking of a program like this requires significant experience and guidelines to ensure the safety of the public and our deputies. These ATV’s are specialized equipment, which are high powered and require detailed training. These will predominantly be used to suppress criminal activity in our rural communities and in search and rescue operations when called upon.
These vehicles will enable deputies to reach areas that were previously inaccessible. The sheriff wants those who enjoy the outdoors and recreational ATV activities to know that the sheriff’s office is there to suppress crime and not to interfere with the enjoyment of recreational activities.
For every mile of roadway in Williamson County, the sheriff says we have an even greater number of pathways when considering railroad right-of-ways, utility easements, trail systems, and public/private land, which are being used as conduits to further criminal activity. Far too often deputies patrolling in the middle of the night come across ATV activity trespassing on private property, stealing, or engaging in other nefarious activity only to have that vehicle drive into the woods while we watch. Sheriff Diederich says he is rewriting the rules.
The sheriff says the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office has worked diligently to develop this program. Determining the legality of a sheriff’s office operating All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) on various property and on public roadways had to first be vetted. Williamson County State’s Attorney Ted Hampson has helped by providing a letter of opinion which determined that these ATV vehicles are classified as “Authorized Emergency Vehicles” pursuant to 625 ILCS 5/1-105 which specifically provides for “police vehicles.”
The sheriff says it is his belief that a program of this nature is thinking outside the box and provides one more avenue to stop criminal activity. ATVs in our area have been linked to ATV theft, catalytic converter theft, robbery, home invasion, property theft, motor vehicle theft, as well as other criminal activity. These actions negatively affect our community and tarnish the image of the thousands of ATV enthusiasts who responsibly enjoy Williamson County every year.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office recently conducted an ATV patrol pilot program. The results of that effort included responding to calls for service, assisting ATV enthusiasts who were stuck or broken down, searching for and apprehending persons who committed criminal activity, patrolling areas with elevated crime activity, and other law enforcement services.
During the first week of the pilot program, deputies pursued an ATV operating late at night whose driver failed to stop. The pursuit lasted approximately 35 minutes and covered a wide area of southeast Williamson County. This effort resulted in the recovery of an ATV, which had been stolen from Franklin County. The ATV was returned to its rightful owner, who was pleasantly surprised to learn of the efforts taken to secure its return.
This program has a significant cost and the sheriff is looking forward to sharing details in the coming weeks regarding the extensive efforts to minimize the cost to Williamson County taxpayers.
On behalf of the deputies who serve this office and all of the Williamson County Law Enforcement Community, the sheriff thanks you for your continued support.