Allan Beaber throws his hat in the ring for sheriff

On Thursday, Beaber said he decided to run for sheriff because he’s a lifelong resident of Bureau County, has 36 years in law enforcement, having retired in 2012 from the Princeton Police Department, and is ready to continue serving the county in the position of Bureau County Sheriff.

Born and raised in Bureau County, Beaber is a 1971 graduate of Princeton High School and served the community with the Princeton Police Department from 1976 to 1999 as a patrolman, and then from 1999 to 2012 as deputy chief of police. During that time, he received training and classes in all areas of law enforcement, police work and executive management. He also was involved in, or handled, all types of crimes, from shoplifting to homicide, Beaber said.

As deputy chief, Beaber said he handled the day-do-day operations of the police department, including training, scheduling, payroll, squad car maintenance, ordering of equipment and purchasing of squad cards, the evaluation of officers, and assisting in the budget process.

Beaber was also responsible for writing the “Active Shooter” policy for the Princeton School District, as well as armed robbery/bomb threat policies for financial institutions in Princeton. He has conferred with area businesses and schools on potential problems and also served as the liaison between the police department and all civic organizations for parades, festivals and fundraisers. He has worked with the Princeton City Council.

Beaber said he had met and surpassed all the goals he had set when he was hired in the Princeton Police Department. Early in his career at the police department, he would have been happy to make it as sergeant. When he retired, he was the deputy chief under Police Chief Tom Root. While Root was deployed overseas for a total of two years, Beaber said he handled the responsibilities of  both positions.

When asked what he would bring to the office if elected, Beaber said every sheriff would have his/her own ways of administering and how they would like to see things done. Each person is different, but the goal would be the same — to provide the very best law enforcement coverage with what the department has.