John DeGeorge, a lifelong Fillmore County resident and current Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office Captain, has announced his candidacy for Fillmore County Sheriff. The Sheriff position will be up for election in November 2018.
John graduated from Rushford-Peterson High School in 1995. He graduated from Alexandria Technical College in 1997 with a degree in Law Enforcement and immediately began his career with the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office.
Starting out as a deputy, dispatcher and jailer, John was promoted to Narcotics Investigator by Sheriff Jim Connolly in 2000. He spent five years working undercover as part of the Southeastern Minnesota Narcotics and Gang Task Force before being promoted to Patrol Sergeant in 2005 by Sheriff Daryl Jensen. As Patrol Sergeant, he supervised the Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division until 2008, when he was appointed Captain by Sheriff Jensen. John has served as Captain for nearly 10 years. As Captain, he is the Lead Investigator and third in command of the Sheriff’s Office.
John graduated from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Police Supervision and Management Training program in 2012 and the BCA Police Senior Management Training Program in 2013. He was selected by the BCA to deliver the keynote speech at the graduation Ceremony in 2013.
Sheriff Daryl Jensen nominated John to attend the FBI National Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 2013.
John has served as a Police Firearms Instructor and a Police Defensive Tactics Instructor. John also developed and taught a P.O.S.T. certified Crime Scene Response Training course for police officers. He has also served as a member of the Fillmore County Child Protection Team for 10 years.
John has accumulated a wide range of experience and training in his 20 years with Fillmore County including: DEA Narcotics Investigations, Interview and Interrogation, Cornerhouse Specialized Child Interview Training and Advanced Cornerhouse Child Interview Training and BCA Forensic Science Partners Advanced Death Investigation Training.
John has received several commendations for his work with the Sheriff’s Office, including the MSA Meritorious Service Medal in 2015 for his work in closing the Knute and Siever Olson double murder case which occurred in rural Preston in 1936.
“I have committed my entire career to service with the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office and have served in a wide variety of roles. This has given me the perspective necessary to truly understand the challenges facing Fillmore County and the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office. These challenges include responsible and conservative management of the budget, ensuring good relationships based on trust and transparency with the communities that we serve, including those who contract with us for public safety services, and managing an aging jail to ensure that we are in compliance with Department of Corrections standards.”
“Over my 20-year career I have built relationships and respect with fellow employees, former sheriffs and chief deputies, Fillmore County Police Chiefs and Officers, county and city governments and the public that I’ve served. This is respect that I have tried very hard to earn, and never demanded. I believe that a sheriff should serve with trust and transparency and I look forward to the opportunity to be elected as the next Fillmore County Sheriff.”
John and his family are longtime members of the Highland Prairie Lutheran Church. John lives in rural Rushford with his wife Jen and their two children, Dana (12) and Grant (9).
For more information visit degeorge4sheriff.com or search degeorge4sheriff on Facebook.