HARDIN AGREEMENT ADDS FULL-TIME DEPUTY

HARDIN, Ill. — The Village of Hardin and Calhoun County have signed an intergovernmental agreement that will add another full-time deputy to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Under the agreement, the Village of Hardin will pay for the additional deputy in exchange for 40 hours of scheduled police protection each week and extra patrols within the village.

The agreement increases the sheriff’s office from four full-time deputies and the sheriff to five full-time deputies and the sheriff.

Sheriff Zach Hardin said the additional staffing will allow deputies to work more overlapping shifts, improve officer safety and provide faster response times across Calhoun County. Residents can also expect an increased law-enforcement presence in Hardin and throughout the county.

The Hardin Police Department was dissolved in 2020, leaving the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office as the county’s only law-enforcement agency. According to Hardin, the village accounts for more than half of the department’s calls for service and traffic stops.

The agreement was signed July 1 with the support of Hardin Mayor Dave Hurley, the Hardin Village Board and the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners.