GREENE: Wallis enters Sheriff’s race

By Editor | August 13, 2025 |

CLARK WALLIS

By Carmen Ensinger

With the 2026 primary in March still seven months away, two more candidates have thrown their hats in the ring to become the next Greene County Sheriff.
Clark Wallis, a Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy, is one of those two candidates with the other being Chris Weller, also a deputy with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
Wallis formally announced his bid in a press release which states:
Clark A. Wallis of Roodhouse is formally announcing his candidacy for Greene County Sheriff in 2026 and will seek the Republican nomination in the March primary.
He is a graduate of North Greene High School and is currently a Greene County Deputy Sheriff, after previously serving as a Greene County Correctional Officer.
He later attended the Southwestern Illinois Police Academy as a Greenfield Police Officer in a ful

l time capacity. He is currently also serving as a part time police officer for the cities of Carrollton ad White Hall.
Wallis is a certified Lead Homicide Investigator, Sexual Assault Investigator and part of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT).
He has also completed Emergency Medical Technician training and is a volunteer fire fighter for the Roodhouse Fire Protection District.
Wallis said, if elected, he wanted all of his deputies to be trained as Emergency Medical Responders.
“Law enforcement is here to help people, and if we can do anything to help someone with a medical emergency, then we have done our jobs,” Wallis said. “With this training, it would allow deputies who often arrive first at the scene of a medical emergency in rural parts of the county to begin first aid and life saving measures.”
Wallis currently serves as Precinct Committeeman for Roodhouse Precinct 3, and as Treasurer for the Republican Central Committee of Greene County. He is also a member of the White Hall Masonic Lodge #80 and Ansar Shrine.
As a member of the Constitutional Sheriff’s and Peace Officers Association, his law enforcement ideology is rooted in Constitutional policing.
“The most important duty of any elected Sheriff is to uphold Constitutional Rights for all citizens regardless of political beliefs,” he said. “The rights and freedoms of the community must be protected from government overreach.”
Wallis agrees that taxes are too high and out of control, therefore he understands that every tax dollar of Greene County must be spent responsibly.
“Every household in Greene County, including my own, is forced to make difficult financial decisions every day and must live within their means,” he said. “ The government should be held to no lesser standard, and managing the Sheriff’s Office budget is a huge responsibility that I welcome.”
Illegal drugs are a big problem in Greene County and Wallis said one of his goals as Sheriff includes drug enforcement, with an emphasis on making arrests for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of Drugs.
“Enforcement of Drug DUIs can help increase the number and seriousness of charges against criminals,” he said. “Once criminals are made to constantly fear driver license suspensions, vehicle forfeitures, upgraded Felony DUI charges, and lengthy prison sentences, maybe they will think twice about running the streets and committing crimes high on drugs.”
Wallis believes this can be accomplished by sending capable local officers to enhanced drug enforcement training to become Drug Recognition Experts (DRE).
He also said that a special drug enforcement fund exists to help offset the costs of training, and this puts no undue burden on the budget or taxpayers.
Wallis said he would also like to boost transparency between law enforcement and the public by having a substantial social media presence, keeping citizens aware of emergencies, arrests and wanted fugitives.
One way to accomplish this goal would be to return the Greene County law enforcement radio traffic to being publicly accessible. He believes that law enforcement should not operate in secrecy and thinks the public would appreciate being able to hear what the police are doing on a daily basis.
“The citizens are our extra eyes and ears, and beyond that, they want to know more about how their tax dollars are working,” he said. And what better way than to listen live.”
As Sheriff, Wallis said he would also seek inclusion as part of the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is an expansive law enforcement network that focuses on children who are abused, sexually assaulted or exploited in any way.
Wallis said he would also like to increase police presence at Greene County schools.
“Regardless of the school facilities being in the jurisdiction of our city police departments, those schools are still in our county,” he said. “I, along with Deputies, would routinely be present at our schools. This would not only improve relationships with law enforcement, but it would also be a deterrent of acts of violence in schools. My children attend these schools, and I do not take this lightly.”
Wallis said he looks forward to hearing the citizens’ questions, concerns and even criticism when it comes to Greene County law enforcement and what ideas the citizens have about public safety.
“I am not going to shy away from tough questions,” Wallis said.
Wallis resides in Roodhouse with his wife, Brandy, and their three children.