Hamilton County Sheriff's Office-IL

05/25/2026

Today, we honor the brave women and men who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Their courage, service, and legacy will never be forgotten.

This Memorial Day, we
remember not just their sacrifice, but the lives they lived and the families who carry their memory forward 🇺🇸

Sheriff Lakin

05/01/2026

We are proud to highlight Chief Deputy Derrick Epperson, Deputy Austin Hall, McLeansboro Police Sergeant Mathew Bryson, and Officer D.K. York for their participation in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics!

The heart of the Special Olympics movement is the “Flame of Hope”. Law Enforcement Officers, who are known as “Guardians of the Flame” carry the torch in relay fashion alongside athletes during the opening ceremonies of Special Olympics worldwide. This symbolic gesture represents courage, unity, and a celebration of diversity.

Their involvement reflects the values of Hamilton County Law Enforcement, a strong commitment to service—both in protecting our community and supporting athletes of all abilities. We are proud to stand behind such an important cause and honored to take part in this meaningful tradition.

04/01/2026

Anyone receiving a text message with the below attachment, please disregard and delete. It is a SCAM.

Sheriff Lakin

03/24/2026

Thank you Hamilton County Ambulance, McLeansboro Fire, Hamilton County Sheriff, and McLeansboro City Police for the dual scene flight request! 🚁

Air Evac Lifeteam 172 - Jefferson County, Illinois

03/15/2026

12:20PM UPDATE: Most of Fairfield is back on now with majority of the outages currently in the southern part of our territory and up near Noble.

The wind is already causing several outages around the area, including Fairfield, Wayne City, Orchardville, Noble, Carmi and more.

Our crews are working on getting to all locations to find the issues and work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

View the outage map on our website at www.waynewhitecoop.com or on the SmartHub app.

If you have any issues, lines down or any other issues, call us at 618-842-2196.

03/13/2026

Today, Deputy Rushing and Deputy Veach, along with officers from the McLeansboro Police Department attended a pistol red dot training put on by MTU 15. Pistol red dots have become much more popular over the past decade throughout law enforcement, as some reports showing that 92% of officers carry pistols with red dots. This technology allows faster target acquisition, more accurate shot placement, and overall better performance under stress. This means that our local law enforcement is better equipped with technology and knowledge to respond to situations in order to keep the county safe.

Tracy L. Lakin
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office

03/05/2026

02/28/2026

Last week, Chief Deputy Epperson attended a five day crisis negotiations class at MTU 15 in Carbondale. This specialized training enables the ability for situations involving suicidal individuals, barricaded subjects, hostage situations, and emotionally disturbed people in crisis to be resolved peacefully through means of active listening, de-escalation techniques, and communication. This training is beneficial to our community as it provides the knowledge and resources for high risk incidents to be resolved peacefully and allow the individual in crisis to receive the help they deserve while maintaining safety to not only them, but law enforcement and the public as a whole.

Hamilton County Sheriff
Tracy L. Lakin

02/28/2026

On Friday February 27th 2026 at around 10:49pm the McLeansboro Police Department assisted by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office witnessed a male subject who was identified as Curtis D Patterson age 70 driving near the intersection of Randolph and Washington in McLeansboro. It was known and confirmed that Patterson had an active Franklin County Warrant.

A traffic stop on the vehicle resulted in Patterson being taken into custody without issue and subsequent investigations/search of the subject’s vehicle resulted in the location of drug contraband. Patterson was then taken into custody and transported to White County Jail on the Franklin County warrant. Patterson was cited with two notice to appear citations for Possession of Methamphetamine and Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle.

It should be noted that Patterson is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

02/24/2026

Thanks to the Illinois Sheriff’s Association and their continued efforts that allow the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office to award a $500 scholarship towards continuing higher education to Hamilton County Seniors. Interested students can download the application online or pick one up at the Sheriff’s Office. Deadline to return all forms to the Sheriff’s Office is 13 March 2026. Good luck!

Hamilton County Sheriff
Tracy L. Lakin

📌SHARE THIS POST: Illinois Sheriffs' Association - College Scholarship Program. Application is now OPEN! www.ilsheriff.org/youth-2

In 1979, the ISA established a scholarship program for college-bound students. Scholarships ranging from $500 to $1000 are awarded to students who demonstrate outstanding scholastic, extra-curricular and character qualifications.

Each Illinois county that participates in the ISA membership program awards at least one $500 scholarship each school year. The scholarship program is open to Illinois students attending an Illinois higher learning institution.
✏️ Go online today! Deadline to Apply: Friday, March 13, 2026.