Hertz Appointed to Madison County 911 Board

Madison County Sheriff Robert J. Hertz has been appointed by Chairman Alan J. Dunstan to the Madison County 911 Emergency Telephone System Board.  Sheriff Hertz will fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Granite City Fire Chief Tim Connolly.

In announcing the appointment, Dunstan said that as demands on the county’s 911 system increase, it is important to have the Madison County Sheriff’s Office represented on the 911 board.  “Every year we see an increasing number of calls to Madison County 911 and almost 26 percent of those calls are handled by the Sheriff’s Office.  Given that data and the important role the Sheriff’s Office has in protecting the people of Madison County, I believe it makes a great deal of sense to have the department represented on the 911 Board.” 

In 2013, more than 130,000 calls were handled by Madison County 911.  Of those calls, more than 33,000 were handled by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.

Dunstan pointed out that Hertz has previously served on the 911 Board.  “Sheriff Hertz played an integral role in the initial development of the county’s 911 system and, after serving as Sheriff for 12 years, has an even better understanding of the interaction between the system and police and fire departments, as well as how the system can be continutally improved for the benefit of the people of our county,” Dunstan continued.  “Bob (Hertz) understands the importance of the emergency telephone system and, as he has done throughout his career, was more than willing to make the commitment to serving on the board.”

“Not since the advent of the mobile radio have the agencies responsible for public safety -- or our citizens -- been impacted in such a positive way as they have with the 911 emergency telephone system,” Sheriff Hertz stated.  “And while Madison County has one of the best 911 systems in the country, we need to continually look for ways to improve the system in order to more effectively serve the people of the county.  I look forward to, again, serving on the 911 Board and helping in any way I can to improving the system and the county’s public safety efforts.”  

Sheriff Hertz has served for more than 40 years with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.  He is a graduate from the F.B.I. National Academy in Washington, D.C. and a past Deputy Commander with the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission and serves on the boards of the Major Case Squad, the Madison County Child Advocacy Center, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Group of Southwestern Illinois and the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force.  In 2011, Sheriff Hertz served as President of the Illinois Sheriff's Association. 

The Madison County 911 Emergency Telephone System Board is chaired by Lary Ringering, Director of the County’s Emergency Management Agency.  Richard Scharday, chief of the Maryville Police Department,s erves as vice chairman.  Board members include Terry Bell, chief of the Highland Police Department, Rosewood Heights Fire Chief Tim Bunt and Madison County Board member Steve Brazier.  Russell “Bud” Klaustermeier serves as a citizen member of the board.