(WSIL) -- Perry County Sheriff Steve Bareis will be named the interim police chief in Sesser, while still holding the title of Sheriff.
The Perry County Weekly-Press reported Sheriff Bareis stated he will contract with them for some services to give them some oversight. It may amount to 10-to-15 hours per week.
Bareis told the newspaper, "My duties as sheriff come first. My service is to do some inventory and see where they need to adjust and grow.�
Bareis said the Sesser Police Department has four full-time police officers who will take care of patrol duties, while his role will be to “assist and recommend.�
Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore said on Facebook the current Chief, Ryan White, had "decided to take a different path."
When asked about taking the position full time Bareis told the Weekly-Press, “My intent is to serve the remainder of my term and I do not plan on running for reelection and predominantly the reason for that is because I have been slated to deploy with the 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade out of Normal, Illinois, to Djibouti, Africa, in January,� Bareis said, noting he was transferred to the unit on April 1. “I am working with my command staff as far as providing leadership and guidance for the time that I’m gone.�
“I advised him I could only do that until I finished out my term and I have
advised him that I was going to be deployed and he still wanted to have my services,� Bareis said. “We are still negotiating details about my services to them."
Bareis is up for re-election in November of 2022, when his deployment will end. He said his chief deputy, Capt. Wally Behm, will take over the “hands on� duties of the sheriff’s office during his deployment.
“I will be available for guidance and so forth,� Bareis said. “Even though there will be a time change issue, where I’m going, we’ll still have internet access. I will have Skype and all those types of things to be in touch as needed. As far as the personal, hands-on stuff, it will be Wally.�
