Jeff Larner of Edwardsville has announced he will run for Madison County Sheriff, setting up a show down on the Republican ticket in the March 15, 2022 primary election.
Larner is a Marine Corps veteran with more than 10 years’ service in law enforcement and 25 years of executive global security experience with two large multi-national organizations, according to a press release issued Thursday. Larner is currently CEO of a security and risk consulting firm, Larner Security & Risk Solutions, LLC.
His announcement comes days after Madison County Chief Deputy Sheriff Maj. Jeff Connor said he would run for Sheriff as a Republican.
They seek to replace two-term Sheriff John Lakin, a Democrat first elected in 2014. Lakin plans to retire.
“With record and unsustainable budget increases over the past four years totaling more than $2.3 million, Madison County needs a sheriff that understands not only how to keep our neighborhoods safe, but also how to administer the department,” Larner stated in a press release.
“State government continues to pass anti-police legislation, making it harder to find and retain officers. My combination of law enforcement and business experience will allow me to provide support for our deputies on the street and working in the jail while providing value for the $16 million annual department budget. Now is the time for bold and experienced leadership, and that’s what I bring to the table.”
Larner’s release also states that he is a “lifelong Republican and protector of citizens’ constitutional rights, especially the 2nd Amendment.”
He is a graduate of the University of Illinois-Springfield with a bachelor’s in Social Justice, the University of Illinois Police Training Institute, the University of Louisville’s Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Program, and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and Georgetown University’s Senior Executive Leadership Programs. He is a member of the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs’ Association and former member of the FBI’s Springfield Illinois Business Working Group, a public-private partnership between businesses and federal law enforcement.
He and his wife, Nathalie, are members of St. Mary’s parish in Edwardsville and have three children and two grandchildren. Both his son and son-in-law currently serve as police officers.