ROBERT J. LEAHY, JR., ED.D.
Law Enforcement Background
Some may say I have a thing for uniforms. Growing up, I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout. After high school I enlisted in the US Army. Years later during my time in the US Army Reserve, a fellow reservist introduced me to another organization that offered an opportunity for more community service at the local level. This was with the Lake County Sheriff’s Reserve Deputy Unit (LCSRDU). Several years after my retirement, the unit was redesignated as the the Lake County Sheriff's Auxiliary Deputy Unit (LCSADU).
Reserve Deputies were sworn, non-paid peace officer volunteers. They augment the Sheriff's Department in times of natural and man-made emergencies. The unit works directly under the direction of the Highway Patrol Division and assists all of the divisions of the Sheriff's Office. The unit provides traffic and crowd control, searches for missing persons, and participates in crime scene evidence searches. The unit also assists local municipal police departments and charitable organizations in Lake County, Illinois. This enables full-time Sheriff Deputies and Police Officers to concentrate on patrolling and crime prevention while still providing a high level of law enforcement to the community.
I started with the LCSRDU as a recruit and worked my way up through the ranks holding several different leadership and staff positons. This included five years as the unit's Training Officer and my last two and a half years as the Chief of Reserves (highest ranking volunteer) prior to my retirement.
The history of my education and volunteer service as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for Lake County, Illinois is found on the following pages:
