It is the mission of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to provide life and safety services to all residents and visitors in Shelby County, IL, whether in rural area, municipalities or on federal or state controlled lands. All officers of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office are duly sworn and have Peace Officer and Law Enforcement authority along with arrest and apprehension powers as prescribed by the Illinois Complied Statutes. All employees of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office will do their best to protect the lives, property and rights of all persons in Shelby County, whether a life long resident or a first time visitor. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office will enforce the laws of the State of Illinois and any other applicable laws, whether federal or local, to preserve peace, order and safety.

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office will work with all municipalities and municipal law enforcement agencies within Shelby County to provide needed law enforcement services. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office, at the request of a municipal law enforcement agency, will provide assistance, as needed, to protect lives, property and the rights of all persons within the municipality. Furthermore, in municipalities with no municipal law enforcement agency, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office will be the primary law enforcement agency for the municipality and will handle all necessary law enforcement duties as quickly and professionally as possible.

Furthermore, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office will work with all state and federal agencies to provide whatever assistance is needed to provide for the safety of persons in Shelby County.

It will also be the mission of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office to seek citizen involvement to identify problems throughout Shelby County. The Sheriff's Office will support organizations such as TRIAD, Crimestoppers, etc. to encourage citizen participation in recognizing and reporting crimes and unsafe situations within Shelby County. Once a problem is found and a solution is found, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office will combine resources with the local citizens to address the problem and resolve the situation.

Overall, the mission of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office is to provide needed law enforcement services to anyone in Shelby County, utilizing any and all resources available.