Bret Taylor

Chief Deputy Bret Taylor was born in Sterling, Illinois, and grew up in Wyanet. He is a graduate of Wyanet High School, the United States Army Military Police School, Fort McClellan Alabama, and the Illinois Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

After high school graduation he entered the United States Army. He served three years in the Military Police Corp., Fort Carson, Colorado. He deployed with his unit to Honduras, Central America, and was part of Joint Security Forces (Joint Task Force Bravo). After deployment he finished his tour as the Military Police Liaison with civilian law enforcement. He also spent 2 additional years in the United States Army Reserve and was deployed to the Philippines as part of a joint security team.

Chief Deputy Taylor began his civilian Law Enforcement career in 1988 assigned as a Field Deputy under former Sheriff Jack Narczewski. He has served the Sheriff’s Office for the last 36 years as a Field Deputy, Investigator, Drug Task Force Agent, Patrol Sergeant, Operations Lieutenant, and Chief Deputy.

In 1995, he was assigned to the Illinois State Police District 17 Drug Task Force, a multiple jurisdiction task force responsible for investigating narcotics in the tri-county area. During his assignment there, he assisted in numerous narcotics cases and arrests in Bureau, LaSalle, and Putnam Counties. During that assignment Taylor was presented with the Illinois M.E.G. Directors and Task Force Commanders Association award for his involvement in the investigation of a major cocaine distribution network in the LaSalle County area. Taylor was also presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Drug Enforcement Agency and a Letter of Appreciation from the United States Attorney Southern District of New York for his involvement in a major cocaine trafficking investigation. Taylor is a certified instructor in the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University.

Taylor was appointed to Chief Deputy, under Sheriff James Reed in 2014. His top priorities are to update equipment for the safety of the deputies and citizens of Bureau County, continue to improve efforts in combating drug issues in our communities, and continue to work with the school districts of Bureau County in the area of school security and safety.