Veteran cops square off in Boone County sheriff's race

Ken DeCoster, Rockford Register Star
·4 min read

Veteran law enforcement officers Scott Yunk and David Mordt are competing to succeed retiring Boone County Sheriff Dave Ernest.

A lifelong resident of Boone County, Yunk, 57, has worked for the sheriff’s office since 1988, serving as a deputy, detective, patrol sergeant, sergeant of investigations and is currently lieutenant of operations.

Yunk was the winner by a landslide in the three-way Republican primary in June.

Mordt, 56, grew up in Poplar Grove and retired from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 after 29 years with the department. He worked in several capacities including patrol, K9, DEA task force officer, narcotic detective, general case detective and supervisor.

Mordt currently works as a patrol officer for the Rockton Police Department.

The winner of the Nov. 8 sheriff’s race will be elected to a four-year term. The sheriff's compensation package including base salary, health insurance and other benefits totaled $135,760 in 2022, according to the Boone County Board office.

Ahead of the election, we asked the candidates what the most pressing issues they’ll face if elected and what they’d do about them. Here is a closer look at the candidates.

Scott Yunk

Age: 57

Family: Married 30 years to wife Debbie with three sons: Skyler, 24, Mason, 22, and Connor, 20.

Hometown: Raised in Belvidere and currently resides in Poplar Grove.

Education: Belvidere High School, Rock Valley College, UW La Crosse, Illinois State Police Academy, Northwestern Illinois University Police staff and command.

Profession: Boone County Sheriff Lieutenant of Operations since 2018, Boone County Sheriff Sergeant of Investigations 2006 through 2018, Boone County Sheriff Patrol Sergeant 1999 through 2006, Boone County Sheriff Detective 1993 through 1999 and Boone County Sheriff Deputy 1988 through 1993.

Professional Associations: Northwest Law Enforcement Executive Association

Current Member Service Clubs: Belvidere Rotary Club, Belvidere Moose Club, Moose Legion Service Club, Kishwaukee Pheasants Forever, Winnebago-Boone County Farm Bureau, LeRoy Community Grange, Boone County Fair Livestock Auction Committee and Boone County Turkey Federation.

Current Board Member: Belvidere YMCA Board, Belvidere Moose Club Board, Boone County Fair Livestock Auction Committee Board

Political experience: Precinct Committeemen Manchester Township

Endorsements: Retiring Boone County Sheriff Dave Ernest, former Boone County Sheriff Duane Wirth, former Boone County State's Attorney Jim Hursh, Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana, Loves Park Mayor Greg Jury.

What are the top three issues in your race and how do you plan to address them if elected?

  1. No cash bail law effective Jan. 1: The new law will present a significant change in policing especially for multiple divisions of the sheriff’s department. We need to continue development and implementation of intensive training for all divisions by collaborating with Northern Illinois Training Board for education resource development, partnering with judges and the State’s Attorney to establish staff guidance on implementation and establish communication to build public awareness and understanding.

  2. Staffing: Achieving and maintaining adequate staffing in patrol, corrections and dispatch in order to maintain public safety. Collaborate with the Boone County board and the union to establish/maintain competitive compensation package, develop and provide ongoing training and education that allows staff to continually grow and develop and establish and foster open communication and evaluations that encourage employee engagement and feedback.

  3. Mental health crisis: The nationwide crisis affects all divisions of the sheriff’s department. I'd like to collaborate with our Boone County Task Force and Community Officer to ensure ongoing understanding of the community needs while developing proactive solutions and interventions. Provide ongoing training, education and resources that allow officers to safely handle and refer to mental health professionals in order to provide the best outcome for the citizens of our county.

David Mordt

Age: 56

Family: Married to Bobi Jo for 31 years, and we have five children.

Hometown: Poplar Grove

Education: Several advanced law enforcement classes to include criminal law, civil liability and leadership.

Membership and associations: Currently only North American Police Work Dog Association.

Political experience: No political experience but over 35 years of law enforcement, working in several diverse capacities in law enforcement.

What are the top three issues in your race and how do you plan to address them if elected?

  1. Communication: I would introduce the Sheriff's App. The app would alert the citizen to major police events, similar to the weather app. The Sheriff's App also contains information such as daily news, crime in area neighborhoods and other useful information for citizens. I would also introduce civilian police academy and neighborhood watch as well as open the lines of communication to make the sheriff's department a part of the community.

  2. Educate personnel and citizens on available resources: I'd like to educate personnel and citizens on resources that are available for domestic violence victims/children, the elderly, mental health/special needs, drug addiction and several other areas.

  3. Increase patrols: Increase patrols in towns, including Candlewick Lake, rural areas and traffic enforcement to help reduce traffic accidents. I want to provide a safe community to live, work and play.

Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Veteran cops square off in Boone County sheriff's race