James Van Beek

The County Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the unincorporated areas of a county and is responsible for maintaining the peace and enforcing the criminal laws of the state. The sheriff supports the county court system and is required to serve and execute processes, subpoenas, writs, and orders as directed by the court. The sheriff oversees the operation of the county jail, and must maintain and feed prisoners. The sheriff is also the fire warden for prairie or forest fires in the county and is responsible for county search and rescue functions.