Questions have surfaced about the law enforcement certification status of Democratic Greene County Sheriff candidate Ben Picou, just days ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Records obtained by a concerned citizen through a Freedom of Information Act request to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board were made available to WLDS.
According to the board’s public officer lookup, Picou’s two most recent recorded law enforcement appointments, with the Randolph and Alexander County Sheriff’s Offices, are both listed as inactive. The website directs anyone seeking verification of his overall certification status to contact board staff.
The records show Picou was reported as appointed to a part-time position with Alexander County in October 2025, separating in January of this year.
A training waiver requested by Alexander County on Picou’s behalf was denied by the state board on February 4th because Picou separated from the agency before the waiver process was completed. The determination also directed that he complete recruit basic training within statutory time limits.
In correspondence with the citizen through an online chat, Picou said he applied for part-time employment with Alexander County but never followed through with the position. Picou also acknowledged that state officials advised him his certification status was inactive. Screenshots of the correspondence with the citizen’s conversation with Picou were provided to WLDS.
Under the Illinois Police Training Act, an individual with inactive certification has no law enforcement authority and cannot perform sworn law enforcement duties. The law exempts sheriffs who were already elected as of January 1st, 2022 under the sweeping revisions passed in the SAFE-T Act.
According to the law enacted in January 2022, a person is completely ineligible to be elected or appointed as a sheriff in Illinois unless they meet the following baseline verification and background standards: The candidate must possess a certificate attesting to their successful completion of the Minimum Standards Basic Law Enforcement Officers Training Course. This must be prescribed or recognized by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board (ILETSB). Equivalent federal or other-state basic training programs may be accepted if deemed substantially similar; the candidate cannot be a convicted felon; and the candidate must be a United States citizen and a resident of the specific county for at least one full year. The law did provide a grandathering clause saying that the mandatory basic law enforcement training certification requirement does not apply to any sheriff who was currently serving on the effective date of the Act on January 1, 2022. Picou’s records with ILETSB does not show that he was serving in a law enforcement capacity at the time the Act went into effect.
Picou previously served as Greene County Sheriff from 1974 to 1982 and later as Randolph County Sheriff beginning in 1990. State records list his separation from Randolph County in January 2003.
Picou maintains that his original law enforcement certification from the 1970s satisfies the state’s requirements to hold the office. He also told the citizen that he has consulted with the state’s training board and retained an attorney in anticipation of a challenge to his qualifications.
The records raise questions about whether Picou could exercise sworn law enforcement powers if elected without having his certification reactivated. The documents do not include a formal determination disqualifying him from election.
Picou faces Republican Chris Weller in Tuesday’s election to succeed retiring Greene County Sheriff Rob McMillen.