[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6169030,"mediaKeyId","5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0","parentId",5405349,"title","Sheriff reports recent fatalities, multi-jurisdiction search-warrant assistance and telecommunicator staffing changes","audioSeconds",385,"startMs",356000,"endMs",741000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0&start=356&end=741","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0/thumbnail_356000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6169030/Lee-County/Illinois/Sheriff-reports-recent-fatalities-multi-jurisdiction-search-warrant-assistance-and-telecommunicator-staffing-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169030-3a71a9bed0baed997e6f355011981cad/orig.mp4?Expires=1776041797&Signature=Rt9VZBa7X-KLEJ9A50DIr6IaxKuInXwUUHLxsmXHogD~zWIssNpsTUJpORe0THE~UIR6yhPFOZbxo7a8X94mABT63PgogpZ58lL1yM35lYkNrauQN9oy7Q-a~SSFBZEoM2-IqfRPUdF2oUzManp6OUx5~qYqvLRaJOgbfoenekqvfxxyadsBl-ywADl2Bjo2dN5pEJE1izMiyvNasyn2k5OhORHP9SoSXRmzjBAq5uj86kSojeyVwQVQCqRifHAfX3EPaf03JN6w2xj~cN9CyNpLMilGSXu79HUvuIH5KtqpnwDGg~tcO7lBpphDSwtiiPmBhTKCzEjZMJxntYZTUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lee County, IL","date","2025-07-16T20:10:02.97Z","article","Lee County’s sheriff updated the Public Safety Committee on recent incidents and staffing changes, including a double fatality from an electrocution, mutual-aid assistance on a violent incident in a neighboring county, and staffing turnover in telecommunicators.

The sheriff told the committee that deputies responded to an overhead electrocution in Amboy \"what turned out to be a double fatal\" and mentioned another incident in the area of 251 on Chicago Road. He also said Lee County assisted Whiteside County by executing three search warrants related to an investigation in which \"3 masked and armed individuals went to a garage party, assaulted some of the people and then shot fired some shots indiscriminately.\" The sheriff said Lee County assisted in executing the search warrants prior to July 4 as part of that investigation.

On staffing, the sheriff said the department had two current employees as of the prior night and is processing lateral candidates from Dixon Police Department: \"We're, going through the background Dixon Police Department to be hired as police officers doing lateral.\" He reported a probationary telecommunicator was released \"because it just wasn't working out\" and the county will hire another telecommunicator to replace that position. He also said the county is continuing work to replace Kevin Lally in an unspecified role.

Committee members thanked the sheriff and had no additional action on the report.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lee County Public Safety and Court Services Committee Meeting 7/15/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The sheriff briefed the committee on a recent double fatal electrocution, assistance executing search warrants in Whiteside County after an assault and shooting, and personnel changes including a telecommunicator replacement and ongoing recruitment.","taxTitle","Lee County, Illinois","taxId",58219,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6169035,"Probation department to begin six-month transition to Tyler case-management system",67,303000,370000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0&start=303&end=370","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0/thumbnail_303000.jpg","/articles/6169035/Lee-County/Illinois/Probation-department-to-begin-six-month-transition-to-Tyler-case-management-system","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169035-265f0a03951986f0b8dcd162e325a11f/orig.mp4?Expires=1776041797&Signature=jLbbjs6ypomCv-wo1CpaFxSv3Yn~zZRoor7~nCam8sdCYdolZWusX3XuN6bOWAxiV~-7ZFjh2jmZpQX~C2Tl04Li7a-hp31ymj9vgKGGwJYeQOk64o~SuVRGrJuTHENSm-ABXcI5~F5Ijs0DFjuDrysLSakfHHUgmtnZpUWSQ23IiPm0C67JB3uUCj1QU~2pea-qHZetPCEF50SIFFU~bSfRZiwQR~-FBi3FJ6hQ1ZIMYU3zwircxa0Yi~~1rRMpt0nZWNaK5sbWrez3EOxo0PEK~hAuLYZCZJr1LrLMKvrtdaYQnN0AsE3ewn~cXLSnOA0E-WijZsAOWkA0mdY5mQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lee County probation staff told the Public Safety Committee they are beginning a transition to the Tyler technology package and expect a roughly six-month training and implementation period.

Stacy (probation department) said, \"We are in the beginning stages of moving towards Tyler, the new technology package for the county. So starting this week, we'll start with a little bit of training and learning a little bit about the system. This is gonna take us about 6 months before we are fully trained and ready for our office to move forward with it.\" When asked whether the system would need retraining as it evolves, Stacy responded that retraining would not be necessary immediately: \"Definitely. No. No.\"

No formal actions or funding details were discussed at the meeting. Staff described the transition as a multi-month training process and said they will update the committee as implementation progresses.","County probation staff said they will start training on the Tyler technology package this week and expect a roughly six-month rollout before the office fully adopts the new system.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6169040,"County reports progress on abandoned-property program; Lee Center School redevelopment remains slow",453,637000,1090000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0&start=637&end=1090","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0/thumbnail_637000.jpg","/articles/6169040/Lee-County/Illinois/County-reports-progress-on-abandoned-property-program-Lee-Center-School-redevelopment-remains-slow","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169040-d993de80ef0055f4b6535408f0fd1293/orig.mp4?Expires=1776041797&Signature=ipRZXDMSA3soyrNQbtEChFEhgiXkWRbcrLRbOzOKgkRq-mcqqShV7~XTb1fWK3002zEX~crkmG484zvbxxILnIGkJpa0~PMGPpK2UUSaOGL1EygZYPPdiWzCrG6uMP8-owM-RJIIF3ke0Ohor05QKfXj~73rYgk821QAP9rt13Dh-zs~SatZPwCfKTVJQg0QRebED1v8vueR9M49iqIPl7IF~nXTnTOU-OBIcNAjkEgHLGh4Aqy8Vd0Wi8MXHSEwhp6Mq6z-kgmbwD0OxBGm3MhT4Zk3RVoRT-K1fFAUvCJFas4YlghFxuF18~yv~NHhQnukLMgkd~WYMQbyqBnIWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lee County staff told the Public Safety Committee they have resumed progress on abandoned-property and nuisance-property work after months of limited activity, with property preapprovals and intergovernmental agreements moving forward.

Jeremy (staff member) said the county’s Strong Communities program has picked up pace since a recent staffing addition. \"With Joe coming on board, we've moved a little bit quicker with our strong communities program,\" he said. Jeremy reported the county is working an extension with the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDA) and that the city of Dixon has submitted four properties that \"have been approved through Ida through their preapproval process\" and will start moving forward. The city of Amboy has submitted required materials and is pending an intergovernmental agreement.

Jeremy also said one of the county attorneys is working on a large nuisance-property project and that the Lee Center School redevelopment project \"is still slowly churning.\" He said additional inspections and renderings are underway and that when more detailed plans are available the project team will present to the committee.

Committee discussion included coordination across departments, development of a shared citation form for code violations and consideration of stronger building and zoning enforcement to complement health-code actions. Jeremy said the county is working to \"build out a better citation form\" that can be used across the building and zoning, health, and other departments so enforcement can be more consistent and financially efficient.

No formal votes or binding commitments were made; staff are continuing legal review, intergovernmental agreements, and project inspections.","Staff reported movement on the county's abandoned- and nuisance-property work through the Strong Communities program, preapprovals from IDA for four Dixon properties, and ongoing inspections and legal work on larger projects including Lee Center School.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6169044,"Lee County searches for emergency management director as EMPG grant status remains uncertain",745,235000,980000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0&start=235&end=980","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0/thumbnail_235000.jpg","/articles/6169044/Lee-County/Illinois/Lee-County-searches-for-emergency-management-director-as-EMPG-grant-status-remains-uncertain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169044-733a37125448e57ebef610a1e03a4343/orig.mp4?Expires=1776041797&Signature=WgqQ5VUziDQMFDBXcsAUTTHPcs0Cry1FhLS3Z1fTH8k4pBkgYp5T12ghvADAbM~VWiz7SQd6opyhD7WiX6Mgy2kU-Tpo-imJYNn1vhBJBkmOnwcHDOKGidox~msgozsIlSRrB6YGTBSbg1oOX2uJJqzvuczoefWR~DSQWohhau4B6VHmha6AcmNjv-QyTUaFtfrbdBUG3J9m-GPJfDOWqDfdTwgvcsKrghyXoZ3oTdrk~wVcxiRp6Z1~bwYHKL6QQ918RvoaIhIlZMmXx0iQi2AGAPR6eOZINgl6PEGgBpImEIfERYxd73ZYel9ZrsifGwfUO7aBGa2bItXdQQ26fQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lee County officials told the Public Safety Committee that the county has several candidates to replace the retired emergency management director and that state grant funding the position has not been confirmed for next year.

The county’s emergency management director retired earlier in the month, which left responsibilities \"falling to Chairman Olsen\" and to staff assisting him, committee members said. The sheriff reported the county received six applications for the vacant position and planned to interview three candidates next week for a part-time role. \"We had 6 applications for the position. I believe we're gonna interview 3 or 4, 3, next week that are interested in the part time position,\" the sheriff said.

Jeremy (staff member) told the committee several grants run through the emergency management agency (EMA) and that he is preparing an expense report for the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) that \"reimburses part of Kevin's salary or the EMA salary that we currently have.\" He said the EMPG budget for next year \"is still in limbo\" and that he has spoken with the state, which has indicated some optimism but has not confirmed whether the grant will reopen. \"We're hoping to to know a little bit more on if they're going to open that back up this month,\" Jeremy said.

Committee members discussed options under consideration for filling the director role, including hiring a stand-alone part-time director, a full-time director, or a hybrid arrangement within the sheriff's department. Jeremy said the county is \"looking at all avenues\" and wants to ensure any decision is \"well thought out\" given budget uncertainties.

No formal hiring decision was made at the meeting. Committee members were told interviews are scheduled and that staff will return with updates.","Following the EMA director's retirement, county officials said they have several applicants and will interview candidates for a part-time director; staff also reported uncertainty about state EMPG grant funding that partially reimburses the position.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6169050,"Lee County committee holds proposed open-burning ordinance for further revision",0,1007000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0&start=1007&end=1007","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5405349-2ad80b3fd24b7779d592a0097e093ef0/thumbnail_1007000.jpg","/articles/6169050/Lee-County/Illinois/Lee-County-committee-holds-proposed-open-burning-ordinance-for-further-revision","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6169050-8daa3c23e167e66621b0984241446c2e/orig.mp4?Expires=1776041797&Signature=fDMhoJqVVK3fcYjnwU4wNr2MIBOK8v6PrXj8uGWDVzxeAiKBlsp8fyY8-S5BQlnyw3BI9XAspapMPZYU2EkN5Hsd4msO734E17csGaRwvk4RaAmgyvHEPFWg81c1VwQlvveNlAeFdAx4tMuyo9xx3jsachPTHIBvgDYJFtpXwYvEqqG-jD0NjfPWmaMbsDoMstZ4-Ip5BXF6Vs17xxsi-g7fiC0BzDebT3ZPME2wc739eyiQIXGpaQL1NzcSUoI7LCzkna0W3dMq78jx~2oZPDXcNX1bAV-NZiGI0sWI~1Myb3X2ECW3SoJoTqN3NTntLnU7TTZKoTdhsK2bLP8qOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lee County Public Safety Committee on Thursday held over a draft open-burning ordinance for further revision after members raised enforcement and right-of-way concerns and asked staff to refine the language.

Committee members said the ordinance is intended to give the county local authority in addition to existing state rules and to provide enforcement tools for the sheriff and local fire districts.

The committee’s discussion focused on how the ordinance would be enforced, whether it should regulate burning in public rights of way, and how exceptions for townships or road commissions might work. Committee Chair (unnamed) said the draft’s \"title and purpose again is just to create a Lee County open burning ordinance\" and that the measure is crafted \"to be adopted within unincorporated areas of Lee County, to protect life, property, and environmental quality in accordance with the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.\" The chair added, \"We're not looking to tell them they can burn this. They can't burn that,\" stressing the draft is not intended to supersede state guidance on allowable materials.

Jeremy (staff member), who presented the draft, said enforcement would be available to local agencies: \"It would be, you know, able to be enforced by Lee County Sheriff's Office, fire districts, and and designated code enforcement officers,\" and noted the draft removes a separate administrative appeals section because alleged violations would proceed through the court system. Jeremy also described the ordinance’s procedural path: if the committee moves it forward it will go to the executive board and then, if approved, to the full county board for holding-over and eventual adoption as an ordinance.

Committee members debated whether the ordinance should prohibit burning in rights of way. Chris Norberg asked, \"Do we have the mechanism to enforce it? Do we have the personnel to enforce it?\" and said common sense often governs burning decisions. Other members said right-of-way burning has practical uses for townships and road districts and recommended either removing rights-of-way language or drafting an exception process. One committee member suggested allowing a township supervisor or road commissioner to authorize or be responsible for certain right-of-way burns, provided notification and safety measures are followed.

Several members referenced recent local incidents that motivated the ordinance work. The chair and others mentioned uncontrolled burns that required fire department responses and the cost of dispatching emergency crews for preventable events.

Committee members also discussed operational details that staff will refine before the draft returns: notification requirements for controlled burns that close road segments, whether a county pamphlet or state brochure remains available to residents, and use of trained personnel to conduct controlled burns in conservation areas. Jeremy said the draft could be amended and that \"anything can be changed\" if the ordinance language proves impractical.

Rather than advance the draft now, the committee agreed to hold the ordinance over for more edits and to bring a revised version back next month. The chair said the committee would \"hold it over until Becky till next month\" for further work.

The committee did not take a formal recorded vote on the ordinance during the meeting; members instructed staff to revise the draft and return it for additional consideration.","A draft ordinance to regulate open burning in unincorporated Lee County drew discussion about enforcement, right-of-way exemptions and next steps; the public safety committee agreed to hold the measure over for revision and further review.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Sheriff reports recent fatalities, multi-jurisdiction search-warrant assistance and telecommunicator staffing changes

Probation department to begin six-month transition to Tyler case-management system

County reports progress on abandoned-property program; Lee Center School redevelopment remains slow

Lee County searches for emergency management director as EMPG grant status remains uncertain

Lee County committee holds proposed open-burning ordinance for further revision