I’m proud of the work we accomplish at the Sheriff’s Office every single day and I’m excited to share with you how we accomplished every campaign promise I made four years ago. Not only did we accomplish each campaign promise – we far exceeded those goals by accomplishing much more.
Combating Drugs in our Community
Below are our 2018 campaign pledges and the corresponding achievements from my first term.
2018 Campaign Pledge
What We Achieved
Certify two additional patrol deputies as Drug Recognition Experts (DREs) to assist in the investigation of drug impaired drivers, which continues to be a concern on our highways.
We now have 3 certified DRE’s, combined with 29 deputies certified in Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), all of whom possess advanced training in the detection of drugged driving on our highways.
Explore potential grant funded opportunities to obtain a second K9 unit.
We placed a second K9 into service in fall of 2020, and because of proven value and success of these two K9s, we’ll be placing a third K9 into service later this year. Our K9 program continues to be 100% donor and grant funded!
Continue to collaborate with and assign a deputy to the Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG Unit), a multi-county drug task force that combines local, state, and federal agents to combat drugs in northeast Wisconsin.
Not only do we continue our strong partnership with the MEG Unit, we’ve expanded other multi-agency task force deployments to combat issues like drunk and reckless driving, human sex trafficking and highway drug interdiction.
Analyze and adapt new multi-agency partnership programs such as our Release Advance Planning (RAP) program to best serve inmates with an action plan prior to release from jail in an effort to reduce re-offending.
The jail RAP program continues to grow and expand its list of treatments and resources we provide our inmates to better prepare them for their release back into society. We also partner with a program that provides Vivitrol to eligible inmates, Drug Court that holds offenders accountable for their criminal offense(s) while ensuring they comply with addiction treatment, PACE programming for juvenile offenders, and numerous other programs that work to rehabilitate inmates/offenders and ultimately reduce recidivism.
As a current member of a panel of local officials representing Fond du Lac County in a multi-county lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, I will continue to represent our Sheriff’s Office and county in this important initiative to hold large pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in our current opioid crisis.
This lawsuit was settled in 2021, and Fond du Lac County was one of several counties awarded a portion of the $420 million settlement Wisconsin is receiving. These funds will be used to provide better treatments and services to our residents who struggle with an opioid addiction, and help them avoid the crimes and jail time that come with funding those addictions.
Combating Drugs Accomplishments - Above & Beyond
​Drug Testing Equipment
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Applied for and awarded several grants to purchase drug testing related equipment. With these funds we purchased a drug testing hood that filters air and minimizes the chance of a deputy unintentionally inhaling the drug or unknown substance.
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We also purchased a spectrometer that can test unknown substances in their sealed bag or container, eliminating deputy exposure to harmful drugs or chemicals.
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Both of these devices were procured to help keep deputies safe while testing and identifying drugs.
Drug Interdiction Task Force
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Assisted in the planning and execution of one of Wisconsin's largest-ever highway drug interdiction task force deployments. This task force consisted of deputies partnering with troopers and inspectors from the Wisconsin State Patrol, officers from several police agencies around the county, and the Wisconsin National Guard Counterdrug Program to target drug traffickers traveling to and through Fond du Lac County.
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Drug Overdose Pilot Program
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Participating in a drug overdose reporting pilot program in collaboration with the MEG unit, to track overdoses, and pursue the sellers and traffickers providing these dangerous drugs to people in our community.
Continuous Improvement & Workplace Efficiency
2018 Campaign Pledge
What We Achieved
Implement speech to text software to save support staff time preparing reports.
A new county-wide law enforcement records system is now operational, and one of the many enhanced features includes a speech to text option that allows deputies to narrate their reports, convert it to text, and review the report prior to submission.
Transition the growing list of clerical related duties currently placed on patrol supervisors to civilian support staff so patrol supervisors can focus on their patrol related duties.
Our new records system went live in January of this year, and we continue to leverage new functionality in this system to improve efficiencies throughout our Office. Additional features are currently being developed that will further enhance efficiency.
Improvements include a paperless workflow that allows supervisors to review reports electronically, and automated generation of shift reports that used to be manually generated by supervisors at the end of every shift.
Create a security services unit that handles City/County Government Center security, court security, and assists with prisoner transports, rather than drawing from patrol deputies, supervisors, and detectives to supplement these responsibilities.
A five-deputy unit has been created and assigned specifically to fulfill these responsibilities. In turn, this has allowed patrol deputies, supervisors, and detectives to remain focused on their primary responsibilities, rather than be pulled to assist with these functions.
Integrate a firearms training range into the county highway department construction project, which will reduce round-trip drive time from an hour per training session to just a few minutes. This greatly reduced travel time would reduce fuel costs and increase training time on the range for our deputies.
A 100-yard outdoor firearms training range was integrated into the highway department project. Not only is this the first time we’ve had our own county-owned range to train on, but we also allow other law enforcement agencies to train here as well at no cost to them.
Workplace Efficiency Accomplishments - Above & Beyond
New Lexipol Policy Manual
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Replacing our existing policy manual initially developed in the 1980s with a strong current-day policy manual that provides our deputies with best practices and guidance in policing.
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Lexipol stays current on state and federal legislation affecting law enforcement and provides policy updates to ensure compliance and protects deputies from lawsuits that can occur with outdated policies.
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Use of Force Procedures
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Enhanced our use of force reporting procedures and expanded the data collected to further ensure our deputies are appropriately using force. All reports are reviewed by a certified use of force instructor, and forwarded up the chain of command for additional review.
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Participation in Pilot Programs
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PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS
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State led pilot program to analyze crash data to predict high crash potential times and locations. Deputies are then deployed to perform additional traffic enforcement at these locations and time in an effort to reduce crashes.
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ELECTRONIC SEARCH WARRANTS
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In collaboration with a circuit court judge, we piloted a new electronic search warrant process to improve investigative and circuit court efficiencies by streamlining the warrant process through technology and eliminating paper.
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Highway Safety
2018 Campaign Pledge
What We Achieved
Continue to support efforts to get State Highway 23 reconstruction project back underway.
As sheriff, I worked to get this project back under way through conversations with state legislators, attendance and speaking at public meetings with DOT, and corresponding with our federal congressional leaders who ultimately voted to allocate funding to complete this project. Highway 23 will be safer than its ever been once completed later this year.
Continue to obtain federal grant funding to sustain our county-wide highway safety task force.
Our Sheriff’s Office continues to spearhead a multi-agency highway safety task force and has applied for and received highway safety grant funding each of the last four years. This has allowed us to deploy additional deputies and officers throughout the county to combat issues like reckless and drunk driving.
During a time when the United States has seen skyrocketing numbers of fatal motor vehicle crashes in recent years, the number of fatal crashes in
Fond du Lac County have actually decreased. Part of this decrease can be attributed to our continued focus on highway safety through the use of this task force.
Integrate a Sheriff's Office impound building into the county highway department construction project where crash reconstructionists can collect evidence and store vehicles involved in crashes that result in significant criminal charges.
An impound building was integrated into the highway department project. Our Sheriff’s Office, as well as other agencies, including the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation, utilize this space to collect forensic evidence and store vehicles driven in fatal crashes or used in other crimes.
Highway Safety Accomplishments - Above & Beyond
Additional Radar Trailers
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Speeding and reckless driving complaints are some of the most common calls we receive on a daily basis. In addition to our deputies working traffic enforcement details, we deploy a radar trailer at various locations where speeding is reported to be an issue.
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Requests from our citizens to have the radar trailer set up in their neighborhood far exceed our capacity to deploy this trailer to all the requested locations.
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I’m pleased to announce that in March of this year, we were awarded highway safety grant funding to purchase two more radar trailer units. We will soon be able to deploy three radar trailers at various locations throughout the county in order to draw attention to the speed limit and slow drivers down in areas of highest concern.
Do What You Promised
Keep Your Word
Exceed Expectations!
As your sheriff, my goal isn’t to just meet your expectations . . . it’s to exceed them.
Click on the categories below to see examples of accomplishments that exceeded the goals we set forth in 2018.
Equipment Upgrades & Emergency Preparedness
The safety of our community and deputies continues to be one of the Sheriff's Office top priorities. New advancements in technology provide added safety measures for our deputies while also enhancing transparency in policing for the public we serve. Below are some examples of upgrades made in my first term that better prepare our teams to protect and serve
Fond du Lac County.
Personal Deputy Equipment
Special Teams
Communications
Body Worn Cameras
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Every patrol deputy and jailer was issued a personal body worn camera that captures audio and video of all incidents from their perspective.
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Cameras protect deputies from false allegations and enhance transparency in policing for the public we serve.
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Body worn cameras, squad cameras, and a cell phone app all operating on the same platform create a comprehensive evidence collection system that streamlines the processing of evidence and improves efficiencies for our deputies and support staff.
Firearms
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Patrol deputies are now equipped with new rifles and handguns outfitted with optics and flashlights to best protect themselves and innocent bystanders in violent situations.
Drone Team
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Created a new drone team and currently have 9 FAA licensed pilots distributed evenly across all three shifts so we can deploy a drone as quickly as possible when needed.
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Drones are equipped with cameras that can capture video and photographs of crime and crash scenes.
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Drones are also enhanced with Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) technology to detect heat signatures of lost or missing persons or suspects trying to flee.
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Additional capabilities include:
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Bright flood lights to illuminate a scene from above.
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PA speaker to communicate with someone on the ground.
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Payload capability to deliver food, water, cell phone, or a medical device to a victim waiting for rescue crews to arrive by ground.
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Mobile Field Force Team
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We've seen cities across our state and country devastated by civil unrest, looting and rioting. We have sent our deputies to assist in protecting innocent citizens and businesses in some of these communities. Our newly formed Mobile Field Force Team has the training and equipment to handle these disturbances during times of civil unrest.
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SWAT Trailer
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Having all equipment self contained in this trailer significantly reduces response time of the SWAT team to critical incidents.
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This trailer provides a confidential space to plan and brief SWAT team members on the incident and provides a conditioned space out of the elements for team members to warm up, cool off, eat and hydrate during prolonged and ongoing incidents.
Mobile & Portable Radios
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Replaced 20 year old equipment with modern-day radios allowing our deputies to communicate not only on our own county radio system, but on statewide mutual aid radio systems so our deputies can communicate with other agencies when called upon to assist.
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SWAT Negotiator Phone System
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Our goal is to resolve critical incidents without using force and with no harm to innocent victims. Communication plays a big role in peaceful resolution, and our SWAT Negotiators now use a modern communication system to interact with suspects involved in SWAT situations.