WELCOME!
I appreciate you taking the time to learn more about my re-election campaign, and hope you are as proud as I am of the accomplishments YOUR Sheriff's Office has achieved during my first two terms.
The last eight years have been filled with many challenges. However, through the collective efforts of over 190 dedicated coworkers, I'm proud to share that we've accomplished, and far exceeded, every campaign promise made in 2018 and in 2022. This was a collective effort and I'm honored to highlight those achievements throughout this website.
In addition to what we've already achieved, below I lay out our goals and objectives for the next term. These are just some of the issues Fond du Lac County is facing, and I'm dedicated to keeping these front and center over the next four years.
When I took office in 2019, I inherited an office that was already accomplished and well respected by the citizens we serve. Today, after eight years of remarkable progress, we stand as an even stronger, well trained, better equipped Sheriff’s Office tasked with protecting Fond du Lac County 24/7/365.
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As your elected sheriff, I don’t take your vote for granted. I hope to have earned and maintained your trust, and ultimately your vote, and I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve as your Fond du Lac County Sheriff.
~ Ryan Waldschmidt
CURRENT NEWS
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2026
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt Announces Bid for Re-election
FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Today, I am proud to announce my candidacy for re-election as Fond du Lac County Sheriff.
Serving as your Sheriff for the past eight years has been the greatest honor of my professional career. I remain eager to continue defending and upholding the Constitution while serving our community with the same dedication and focus you expect. Despite the challenges we have faced, I am proud that we not only kept our campaign promises — we exceeded them in many areas.
These accomplishments belong to the outstanding men and women of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, who serve our citizens with Respect, Fairness, and Compassion – the core traits of our mission statement - every single day. That said, our work is never finished. As I enter my 28th year with the Office, I remain fully committed to tackling the evolving challenges before us.
I’ve appreciated the opportunity to meet with residents across the county, listen to your public safety concerns, and I will continue to stay transparent and accessible. We will continue to balance fiscal responsibility with the public safety services our citizens expect, harness evolving technology for greater efficiency, and prioritize key issues including our jail, illegal drugs, mental health, dangerous driving, employee wellness, and other concerns expressed by our community. As your Sheriff, I will ensure our dispatch, correctional, and law enforcement deputies remain well-trained and properly equipped for the challenges that lie ahead.
I am deeply humbled by the strong support this community has shown our Office throughout my career and I look forward to earning your continued trust and your vote on November 3, 2026.
Please visit www.waldschmidtforsheriff.com to learn more about our accomplishments this term and our vision for the future. Together, we will keep Fond du Lac County a safe place to live, learn, work, and raise a family.
With gratitude,
Ryan F. Waldschmidt, Sheriff
NEXT TERM
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Below are just a few of the issues we will continue to prioritize to keep Fond du Lac County safe,
if I have the honor of being re-elected as your Sheriff for a third term
The current county jail, constructed in 1956 and added on to three times since then (1986, 1996, and 2006), is experiencing significant structural issues including major settling which is causing large cracks in walls and floors, serious plumbing issues with old clay tile and cast iron pipes, old and failing systems such as door locks and intercoms, cell doors pinching shut when door frames shift from settling walls, and a multitude of other facility concerns that can no longer be maintained or repaired and must be completely replaced through massive renovation or demolition. Renovation would involve the expenditure of tens of millions of dollars but result in a smaller capacity jail than we have now, due to current cell size codes that require much larger cells than when the jail was originally built. For this and other reasons, the county board has understandably opted against renovations.
In 2021, the Fond du Lac County Board unanimously voted to purchase land off South Hickory Street, adjacent to the Highway Department, to build a jail and public safety facilities. This was the vision of then county executive Allen Buechel, as well as the full county board. Since then, an independent jail ad hoc committee, public safety committee, facilities committee, and executive committee have each independently reviewed the findings of a comprehensive jail study completed by an independent consultant. Each committee came to the same conclusion – a new jail is needed and the most logical location now and for decades into the future of the county is to build it is at the property adjacent to the highway department.
Although all final decisions regarding the location and scope of the project lie solely with the county board of supervisors, we will continue to provide them with tours, information, data, statistics, and answer any questions they have so that they can make an informed decision working in the best interest of the taxpayers. The board will also be hosting jail listening sessions throughout the county once options and the cost of each option are determined, prior to any final decisions being made. While jails are unfortunately an expensive operation, they are a necessary component of the criminal justice system, and critical to keeping dangerous criminals off our streets.
Fond du Lac County is exploring the option of creating a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). This council consists of key criminal justice, government, and community stakeholders who convene regularly to identify systemic challenges and work collaboratively to improve the local criminal justice system. Law enforcement and corrections are just two of the many “seats at the table” of a CJCC, and if they county decides to move forward with its creation, we look forward to providing input and insight into the broader discussions that will take place.
Sadly, Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) cases have skyrocketed in recent years, as artificial intelligence has gotten much better at identifying child pornography and child sex trafficking among internet traffic, websites, and social media platforms. The good news is we’re receiving more ICAC tips than ever before, and can work to investigate and hold accountable those who prey on our children. The bad news is these cases are extremely labor intensive, time consuming, and often very complex. It requires hours and hours of investigatory time analyzing digital evidence from cell phones, tablets, computers, thumb drives, and other electronic devices.
Much like the fentanyl crisis required a detective designated solely to investigate opioid related crimes, if this ICAC trend continues, we will have to consider allocating full-time resources just to handle the increased volume of these cases in order to protect the children in our community.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) wasn’t a term most had even heard of four years ago, but in the last several years the use of AI has grown significantly. I believe we’ve only just begun to see the power of efficiency and analytics this technology can bring, and when used carefully, I look forward to leveraging AI technology enhancements. At our sheriff’s office we’ve already begun to use AI to run data and analytical reports we’ve never been able to run before, transcribe audio recordings and video footage automatically rather than manually, and we’re already exploring new ways we can safely use the technology to better serve our community.
Conversely, we already see suspects using AI to engage in criminal behavior. We were one of the first agencies in the state to arrest a suspect for possession of AI created child pornography. We need to ensure our law enforcement remains trained in the latest AI trends to identify how and when it is being used by criminals.
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I fully expect there will be significant advancements in the use of AI technology in the next four years and look forward to utilizing the technology to keep us safer, more effective, and more efficient in our work.
Maintaining a fleet of safe and capable water rescue vessels is essential to deputy safety and getting rescuers to those in distress on our waters – particularly Lake Winnebago. Most water rescues do not occur during ideal water and weather conditions, and operating in harsh conditions requires safe and modern equipment. Our goal is to combine the capabilities of two current boats, one of which is 65 years old, and both of which require significant annual maintenance and storage space, down to one capable vessel. Mercury Marine has graciously offered to provide motors for this new boat at cost and the DNR will provide a cost-share for purchase and future maintenance. These savings, combined with the sale of two existing boats, will significantly reduce the overall cost of the new vessel which will serve our waters for many years to come.