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 firearms, active shooter response training and emergency management to new recruits.
 
Sheriff Root married his wife Amy in 1998 and has four adult children.


HOWARD G. BUFFETT, SHERIFF

As Macon County Sheriff, Howard G. Buffett brings to the role over five years' experience in law enforcement in addition to an extensive background in business, elected public office, government service and decades of support to vulnerable populations around the world.

Prior to his appointment on September 15, 2017, Sheriff Buffett served as Undersheriff in Macon County for three years. As Undersheriff, he implemented--at no additional cost to taxpayers--a number of community, training and public safety initiatives including: development of the MCSO drug interdiction team; drug interdiction training; motel/hotel emergency overnight program; verbal judo training; Police Executive Research Forum community engagement; MCSO/Decatur Parks summer program; expansion of the MCSO training facility; acquisition of armored vests and other accessories; acquisition of SRT firearms and Simunitions(r); procurement of special use vehicles; MCSO K-9 facility and training program; window tint enforcement policy; and public education programs for the media and community leaders.

Sheriff Buffett was certified by the Central Illinois Regional Commission for Law Enforcement as an Auxiliary Deputy Sheriff in August 2012. He has completed a total of over 3,800 service-duty hours and completed ninety-three weapons qualifications, including Taser, handgun, rifle, and shotgun, under the direction of four sheriff offices in Illinois and Arizona, meeting both states' certifications requirements.
 
Sheriff Buffett has participated in additional specialized training exercises including NSA Executive Level Management Education, Motor Vehicle Criminal Drug Interdiction, K-9 Narcotic Detention, Human Trafficking, Prescription Pills Trafficking, Drug Overdose Prevention Training and Certification, and Public Safety Alliance Training on Drug Cartels, U.S. Gangs, Synthetic Drugs, Trafficking Prescription Pills, Fentanyl, EVOC, High Risk Vehicle Extraction, Barricaded Subjects and House Clearing Tactics, Patrol Rifles, TASER Conducted Electrical Weapons, Truth Verification Testing and Examination Techniques, Aggressive Patrol Tactics, and Terrorism Gathering Vehicle Stops.  He is certified for Law Enforcement Agencies Data Systems (LEADS).  He is a certified Elderly Service Officer (ESO), and he is also a certified examiner for Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA).
 
In 2015, Sheriff Buffett was presented the National Sheriffs' Association Medal of Merit for his support to the Field of Law Enforcement & Criminal Justice and in 2016 was made an honorary member of the National Sheriffs' Association. In 2017, he received the High Sheriff Award, the highest award presented by the Illinois Sheriffs' Association.

He has held senior corporate positions and has served on a number of public and private corporate boards, gaining experience in operations, risk management, regulatory issues and geopolitical complexities.  He currently serves on the Corporate Board of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.  He previously served on the publicly-traded boards of Archer Daniels Midland, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., The Coca Cola Company, ConAgra Foods, and The Lindsay Corporation. He was elected as a Commissioner of the Douglas County Board (Nebraska) in 1988 and served one term before accepting a senior executive position at Archer Daniels Midland.
          
Sheriff Buffett is Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private family foundation he founded in 1999 to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations around the world, including the United States. He has directed more than $1.2 billion of philanthropic investment in support of food security, conflict mitigation, public safety and other areas, including over $108M to 132 law enforcement agencies in the United States. Sheriff Buffett is also the author of two New York Times bestsellers, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a ungry World and Our 50-State Border Crisis: How the Mexican Border Fuels the Drug Epidemic Across America.
 
Sheriff Buffett and his wife Devon have lived in Decatur, Illinois for nearly 25 years. They are the proud parents of five grown children.
THE PRINCIPLES AND VALUES OF THE MACON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE