Luis “Lou” Santoyo, an Elburn village trustee, recently announced his bid for Kane County sheriff in 2026.
So far in the race, Santoyo, a Republican, is running as are two Democratic candidates, current county Undersheriff Amy Johnson and former Kane County Sheriff’s Office employee Salvador Rodriguez.
Santoyo, who was born in Mexico and grew up in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, said an experience as a child seeing a man shot informed his decision to pursue law enforcement as a career.
“i kind of made a promise to myself somewhere along the line … I want to be in a position where I can actually stand in the gap for other people who can’t defend themselves,” Santoyo told The Beacon-News on Thursday.
He started his career working in the Cook County Jail, he said, then worked as a police officer and detective in the Cook County Sheriff’s Department. Afterwards, he worked part-time in the Elburn Police Department, while also teaching middle school and later high school students, he said.
According to his website, he investigated crimes like child exploitation and gang violence as a detective and worked as a forensic artist, hostage negotiator and dignitary protection specialist. He has also worked with immigrant and underserved communities, he said. In 2023, he was elected an Elburn village trustee.
Santoyo, who said he previously voted for incumbent Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain, said he’d considered running for sheriff for some time, but with Hain stepping down saw an opening to run for the job in 2026. He filed his statement of organization with the Illinois State Board of Elections on April 16.
Santoyo, who — unlike the two other candidates in the race so far — has no direct experience working in the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, said he hopes to “shake up the paradigm a little bit” in the office. He noted, for example, concerns about how the sheriff’s office and local municipalities’ police departments work together, noting the high-profile public dispute between the sheriff’s office and Aurora Police Department over the 2023 officer-involved shooting of James Moriarty. Santoyo said he plans to foster more communication and collaboration if he’s elected sheriff.
Another one of his policy ideas, he said, is to partner with mental health experts and institutions to support police training and activities — for example, having a mental health expert present at interviews or interrogations, in advance of a case going to court.
Should he be elected, he said he’d also foster stronger relationships with educational institutions in the county, and focus on what he calls “cultural immersion.”
Santoyo said he believes there’s a relationship between a “misunderstanding of cultures” and racial profiling, and suggested the sheriff’s office could create educational opportunities for officers on the demographics and beliefs of residents of the county.
“I’m really focusing more on the word ‘serve’ rather than ‘protect,’” Santoyo said Thursday, referring to the popular motto adopted by many police departments. “Because we already know how to protect, and we’re good at it.”
As for the race itself, Santoyo, who describes himself as a “moderate Republican,” said he sees the role of sheriff as a nonpartisan one and wants to serve the community “even-handedly.” He said he’d prioritize compliance with both state and federal law when it comes to immigration enforcement.
“I can’t in good faith come and say that I’m a far-right guy and shut the door to people’s needs who are on the other side,” Santoyo said on Thursday. “They can call me a RINO (Republican in name only). They can call me whatever.”
The mid-term elections, which include the Kane County sheriff seat, will take place on Nov. 3, 2026, with the primary next April.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
