Covering the Land of Lincoln

Watkins set to become Peoria County Sheriff after primary election victory

Peoria County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Watkins won Tuesday’s Republican primary election to be the next sheriff.

Watkins, an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, defeated current Patrol Lieutenant Jason Buckley, securing 61.52% of votes.

Watkins is set to replace the retiring Sheriff Brian Asbell, with no Democratic candidate running in the November general election.

A graduate of Limestone Community High School, Watkins served in the US Air Force immediately following graduation. He spent time deployed in Iraq and served in the Air National Guard. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office in 2004 as a corrections officer.

During his time with the office, he has served as Patrol Deputy, Lieutenant, Director of Courthouse Security and now as Captain.

In 2015, Watkins won Deputy of the Year as part of National Police Week observations.

He has also served as Vice President of the police union, as a member of the Central Illinois Emergency Response Team, on the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and on the Weapons of Mass Destruction SWAT team in Illinois.

Watkins graduated from Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command after participating in a program designed to prepare mid and upper-level officers for senior command positions. Watkins is finishing his bachelor’s of arts in Organization Leadership at Lincoln College.

Outside of his career in law enforcement, Watkins served on the Board of Directors at FamilyCore, a Peoria-based nonprofit that works alongside schools, the court system and other service agencies to assist families in need and provide outlets to counseling, intervention, preventative education and other support services.

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