HARDIN - Calhoun County Sheriff Zach Hardin said a mutual intergovernmental agreement signed July 1, 2026, will add a full-time deputy sheriff in exchange for 40 hours of weekly scheduled police protection and extra patrols in the Village of Hardin.
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Sheriff Hardin said he helped arrange the deal at the Calhoun County Government Building in Hardin, Ill. He said the additional deputy will be paid for by the Village of Hardin and that the agreement had the support of the village mayor, board, and the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners.
The agreement comes as the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office remains the county’s only law enforcement agency after the Hardin Police Department was dissolved in 2020, according to Hardin.
“At the time that Sheriff Heffington took office in 2006, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office maintained a full-time staff of a Sheriff and five (5) Deputies, which was supplemented by the assistance and support of the Hardin Police Department,” Hardin wrote. “The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office currently maintains a staff of four (4) full-time Deputies and the Sheriff.”
Sheriff Hardin said the sheriff’s office is “below staffing by approximately two (2) full-time Deputies” based on industry standards and statewide averages.
He said he first tried to address staffing issues in 2024 with the Village of Hardin and Calhoun County, but “after many meetings and contract adjustments, no agreement could be reached.”
“In 2026, I was appointed to the Office of Sheriff, and I revisited this matter,” Hardin said. “For the past few months I have been negotiating with the Village of Hardin and the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners to find a mutually beneficial resolution to serve the needs of everyone.”
Hardin said the village has the highest population in Calhoun County and accounts for more than half of the sheriff’s office calls for service and traffic stops. He said the time spent handling matters in Hardin has resulted in less attention for other parts of the county.
He also cited training requirements, increasingly complex investigations and rising caseloads as factors affecting patrol coverage.
“In the modern digital age, we find our investigations have become highly sophisticated, time-consuming, and further hinder the amount of patrol time available to our Deputies,” Hardin said.
Hardin said the sheriff’s office currently employs deputies certified in lead homicide investigation, crisis intervention, juvenile law, drug interdiction, and advanced roadside impairment. He said those capabilities have helped the agency solve cases requiring extensive investigations, search warrants, follow-up, and interviews, but also have limited patrol time.
He said the added deputy will increase staffing to five full-time certified deputies and the sheriff.
“Following this agreement, our office will be able to bolster our numbers to five (5) full-time certified Deputies and the Sheriff,” Hardin said. “This will allow for Deputies to more frequently be scheduled with an additional Deputy, which will increase officer safety and improve response times countywide, and add more resources available for the resolution of incidents.”
Hardin said residents should expect a larger law enforcement presence in Hardin and across the county because the staffing increase will allow overlapping coverage.
Hardin thanked the Village of Hardin and Mayor Dave Hurley, the Hardin Village Board and the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners for supporting what he described as an improvement to public safety.
“I am very pleased to make this announcement, as I truly believe this is an agreement that will benefit the Village of Hardin and Calhoun County, and provide all of us with a safer community,” Hardin closed.
