Promotions in Sheriff's Department

The Effingham County Sheriff's Department has announced the promotions of Deputy Phil Hardiek and Deputy John Long to the position of Patrol Sergeant.

In this new position, Sergeants Hardiek and Long will act as shift supervisors in the Patrol Section and be assigned to opposite shifts. They will assist the Patrol Lieutenant with quality checking reports and coordinating the activities of their assigned squad.

Sergeant Hardiek has been employed at the Sheriff's Office since May 2003, when he was hired as a Correctional Officer. He was promoted to Deputy in January 2006. Hardiek is a certified Field Training Officer, First Aid and CPR Instructor, Taser Instructor, Stop Stick Instructor, Narcan Instructor, and is one of the Department's Crisis Intervention Officers, and he is on the Honor Guard.

Sergeant Hardiek is a 2004 graduate of St. Clair County Correctional Officers Training Academy and a 2006 graduate of the University of Illinois Police Training Institute's Basic Law Enforcement Academy. Phil and his family reside in rural Dieterich.

Sergeant Long has been employed at the Sheriff's Office since September 1999, when he was hired as a Courtroom Bailiff. He served as Chief Deputy from July 2000 to November 2002 under Sheriff Ron Meek. Long was re-hired as a part-time Deputy in July 2014 and began working fulltime as a Patrol Deputy in January 2016. He has been chosen as a Field Training Officer and is also on the Honor Guard.

Sergeant Long is a Gulf War veteran, having served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He retired from the military as a Sergeant First Class after serving 20 years in the US Army. He attended Blackburn College in Carlinville majoring in Business Administration and is a 2001 graduate of Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Executive Management Program. John and his family reside in Effingham.