Boone County Col. Les Hill will officially replace Mike Helmig as the Boone County Sheriff.
Boone Judge/Executive Gary Moore signed the executive order appointing Hill at a special ceremony Monday morning. Hill has long served as Helmig’s de facto right hand man.
Helmig announced his retirement in December, about two years after his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. He was first appointed as sheriff in 1997 and oversaw massive institutional changes to policing in the county during his tenure. Helmig will serve out his role as sheriff until April 15, and Hill will assume the role the following day on April 16.
“The decision that I am announcing today is really focused on continuing that – building on that foundation that Sheriff Helmig has built with his career around 30 years – building on that foundation but also innovating and looking at new ways to do things, looking at new models, training, promotions, the way that the future will unfold as we go forward from this day,” Moore said.
Helmig notably oversaw the merger of the old Boone County Police Department and the Boone County Sheriff’s office during his time in office. The merger became official on July 1, 2001 and saw the complete integration of the old police department into the sheriff’s department, which is now one of the largest and most robust law enforcement agencies in the commonwealth.
Today, the department handles not only patrol duties but also court transport, financial and cyber crime investigations, crime scene investigations and cold cases, among other duties. It also sports a SWAT team and a large training enter, complete with a gun range and a broken-down cruiser that trainees can use to practice traffic stops and other situations involving vehicles. Helmig was also instrumental in the development of the county’s school resource officer, or SRO, program, which had 36 SROs throughout all of the county district’s schools as of the end of 2024, a program that both Moore and Hill touted at Monday’s event.
Hill was excited about the future of the department, especially as it related to some new programs coming down the pike, namely the addition of three police social workers to the department and a new property tax payment program, wherein county residents can go to any Heritage Bank branch and pay their property taxes, rather than waiting in line at the sheriff’s office.
“They[the social workers] brought a whole new level of professionalism to this office and what they’re able to offer and do,” Hill told LINK nky. “They know about programs that we didn’t know about, and they know how to get a hold of a person to help [people].”
Northern Kentucky as a region has been an earlier adopter of police social workers. Alexandria Police Department’s Kelly Pompilio was the first police social worker in Kentucky; she was hired in 2016. Police social workers do not respond to calls on their own. They are always accompanied by officers, or officers will go and secure a scene and then call them. They also are responsible for the follow-up that comes after the initial call to ensure individuals receive the help they need. They also serve as victim advocates and go to court.
“Drug overdoses, addiction, teen suicide, there’s just so many things that the sheriff’s department responds to, and when you’re there, at some point, it often kind of passes that initial law enforcement call, and you need to be there to counsel the family or the individual and work with other issues, making connections to services,” Moore said about the social work program. “And the police social workers are designed to do that, and they’re trained for it, more so than a deputy.”
Hill thanked Helmig for his service towards the end of his speech, a comment that brought both of them to tears.
“I wanted to thank Sheriff Helmig, who I consider a brother,” Hill said. “He’s also my best friend. In my career he has opened many doors for me, but most important he’s helped me walk through each and every one of those doors,” Hill said. “I have a bold vision for the future of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, and I look forward to serving as sheriff on April the 16th.”
Hill confirmed that he plans to run for the position of sheriff in 2026.
Haley Parnell contributed reporting to this story.