If you’ve ever seen a Kane County Sheriff’s Office press release about a serious accident or a missing person or a criminal investigation or virtually any Kane County emergency situation, you’ve seen Pat Gengler’s work and you know the quality and the effort he puts into it.

Gengler was sworn in Sunday, July 6, as Kane County’s new undersheriff, replacing Dave Wagner, who retired after 22 years of service. At the same time, Eric Fisher was promoted to lieutenant and Ken Johnson to sergeant.

The undersheriff is basically the second in command, serving under Sheriff Pat Perez. Gengler also is in charge of all public-safety operations and oversees all deputies, jail and court security personnel. He retains his duties as chief Freedom of Information Act officer and public information officer.

In a brief interview, Gengler said one of the chief items on his to-do list is helping to make the transition easy for the next chief. Perez honored his campaign promise and will not seek a third term as sheriff. His last day in office is Nov. 30.

In the running for sheriff are Willie M. Mayes, Sr., who won the Democratic nomination, and Republican Don Kramer, who defeated Lt. Kevin Williams in the March primary.

“Five months from now, we’re having a change at the top, and we want to be ready Day One when that new sheriff comes in so that he’s able to hit the ground running,” Gengler said. “It just makes sense to have some continuity right now.”

Gengler has served with the Sheriff’s Office for 19 years. He earned his undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University and has a master’s degree in justice administration from Norwich University, the military college of Vermont. He’s headed the Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit, and through the years he’s been involved directly or indirectly with virtually every division of the office.

“I’ve been able to do a lot in 19 years, and I’m fortunate to be involved in so much,” he said.

During that time span, Gengler has seen a lot of challenges and change, including the rapid-fire communications evolution of the Information Age.

“We have so much more electronics right now,” he said. “When we started, it was pen and paper. Now we have so much access to information that we utilize in our investigations. The technology has gone from portable radio and rechargeable flashlights to cell phones and computers.”

For Gengler, learning and adapting to challenges is part of the fun. And public service is a big part of the reward.

“We have a such a diverse community in Kane County, from the (state’s) second-largest city in Aurora to out west, where it’s farmland and cows. That involves some unique challenges to law enforcement,” he said. “It’s such a big area, people aren’t always going to see us every day, but we want to remind them that we’re always there.”

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