A twelve year veteran of the Will County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Kim Heath can forever claim to be the first woman to win the National Patrol Rifle Competition in Detroit, MI. As one of only two other women who entered, Deputy Heath competed against 130 SWAT and patrol officers during her fifth participation in the event. Participants are evaluated on five courses for marksmanship and tactics, all based on a point system.  The courses are tests against time, distance, physical movement, large and small targets, as well as surprise elements.  It is based on ‘performance on demand’.

Regarding the national competition, Heath said that she wasn’t able to practice beforehand so she figured she had no chance at winning.  Going into the event, her goal was to relax and focus on making every round hit. On the topic of winning, she stated, “I am extremely proud of being the first woman ever to win and hope this encourages more female officers to compete.  I compete because I believe it is a very skilled training experience, whether you win or not.”  She added, “There is such a great camaraderie at the competition and everyone supports and encourages each other.  I have never felt discriminated against.” 

Deputy Kim Heath became a Firearms Instructor for the Sheriff’s Office 10 years ago.  When she was issued a patrol rifle 8 years ago she was quite surprised to find that she had a knack for it.  After that, Heath not only attended the open range shooting dates at the Sheriff’s Office, but found herself pursuing practice sessions on her personal time.  Now, as an instructor, she says that not only does her success come from hours of practice, but also through teaching her fellow officers where she is presented with new questions and problems to solve.    

Sheriff Mike Kelley and the entire Sheriff’s Office staff congratulate Deputy Kim Heath on this prestigious accomplishment.  We are honored to have a nationally ranked Firearms Instructor on our staff.