The Macon County Sheriff's Office was founded in 1829 with William Warnick serving as the first Sheriff. Sheriff Warnick was a personal friend of young Abe Lincoln when the Lincoln family lived in the general area of Warnick's tavern. Walker Jr. in 1998. Today, our agency takes pride in the many services we provide the citizens and we are a pro-active force within the community. Please explore our
website so that you can learn more about one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country. The Sheriff of Macon County is Jim Root. Sheriff Jim Root was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois. He graduated from Eisenhower High School and joined the United States Marine Corps. After completing his military service and receiving an honorable discharge, Sheriff Root received an Associate's Degree from Richland Community College. Sheriff Root began his Law Enforcement career in 1996 and attended the University of Illinois Police training Institute basic police training academy. Sheriff Root has held a variety of positions within the Macon County Sheriff's Office including working in the Patrol Division, working narcotics assigned to the Illinois State Police Drug Task Force, the Investigations Division, Patrol Supervisor, and Emergency Management Coordinator. Working through the ranks from Deputy to Detective, to Sergeant and then Lieutenant. Sheriff Root has also served on the Sheriff's office Special Response team for over 12 years. He is currently an instructor at the Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center and has been since it opened in 2018 teaching fi****ms, active shooter response training and emergency management to new recruits. Sheriff Root married his wife Amy in 1998 and has four adult children.
