I find it interesting that Sheriff Nygren has appeared to have gotten religion recently with respect to “concealed carry, “when in fact he has had the capability to reinforce crime fighting in McHenry County for over a decade and has refused to do so.

I am speaking of the over 230 trained McHenry County correctional and court security officers and process servers whose ability to carry firearms outside of the scope of their official duties has been denied by the same Sheriff Nygren who now states, according to a Northwest Herald article published March 2, 2010, that "when something happens to you or your family…the likelihood that there will be a policeman standing next to you is probably not very great" and therefore that “private citizens who have guns could prove especially helpful in circumstances in which police were not instantly at the scene of an incident.”

Now that the issue of concealed carry in Illinois might be getting some traction, Sheriff Nygren seems to be signaling some lukewarm support. But for years and years he could have permitted his officers, who have all completed the State of Illinois Law Enforcement mandatory firearms training course, who work for his office and whom he could keep a close eye on, to carry firearms not only as they travel to and from work but also when off-duty and in the community.

The list of mass killings like Columbine, Virginia Tech and, closer to home, Northern Illinois University, unfortunately continues to lengthen. An off-duty officer in Utah was instrumental in halting an incident there within the last several years. But in McHenry County the additional cavalry are unarmed.

I, for one, will be far more ready to believe in Sheriff Nygren's new-found conversion to concealed carry if he immediately lifts his own restriction on the sworn, trained, and certified officers under his command.

I will also ensure the people of McHenry County that one of my first acts as Sheriff, after a thorough review of personnel records, will be to allow the sworn and trained officers of the Sheriff’s department to carry their firearms off duty. This will instantly put hundreds more trained and vetted public servants on the street during their off-duty hours which will therefore bring a higher level of public safety to all citizens of the county.