Mike Mahon’s Story

Mike Mahon's career in the Cook County Sheriff's Office has been one of ever-increasing responsibility and scope which has earned him the trust of three different Sheriff's Administrations, one Republican and two Democrat. All three have repeatedly demonstrated their assessment of Mike as a hard-working, honest, responsible and intelligent officer in the most tangible way: by promotion.

Beginning in 1987 as a Correctional Officer inside the nation's largest single-site jail, two years later Mike was one of a handful of pioneers tapped to form the new Electronic Monitoring Unit, where he rapidly rose in the ranks to Supervisor of the Monitoring Center .

In 1991, Mike was selected for the elite Tactical Section, later called the EM Fugitive Unit, whose mission was to locate and apprehend detainees who ran away from home monitoring and resisted recapture. The work of this unit on the streets of Chicago and suburbs is as dangerous and difficult as police work gets.

After about 12 years on the streets, and looking to learn and grow in his career, Mike requested transfer to the Internal Affairs Unit of his home department and earned new respect for his handling, as an IAD Investigator, of citizen complaints and violations of law and internal policy by sworn officers. There he gained crucial skills in the handling of corruption and cases of officer malfeasance.

Mike then applied himself to the Correctional Sergeants' exam and was promoted to Sergeant in 2004. Currently, he serves as a Deputy Director in the Sheriff's Office focused on issues like strategic planning, program evaluation, personnel and productivity.

Throughout his career, Mike has sought to make the most of his talents, to see each assignment through to a successful conclusion and earn the trust of his fellow officers and the public alike. These have been the keys to a continuous rise through the ranks.

Mike lives with his wife and four children in Lake in the Hills, where they have resided for the last 14 years.