I grew up outside of Potosi and was actively involved in a variety of things throughout high school. Along with multiple sports, participation in band was important and many years were spent in the local Boy Scout Troop. After graduating from Potosi High School I attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. During my final semester, I was able to do an internship with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, which gave me a strong desire to work there once I graduated. I attended the police academy in the summer of 1995 and was hired at the Sheriff’s Office immediately upon completion of the academy in July 1995. I started as a patrol deputy, spent a two years as a detective, three years as the DARE officer and then seven years as patrol sergeant, prior to being appointed Sheriff in 2012 by Governor Scott Walker.
I currently reside in Lancaster and have lived there for approximately 18 years. I am married to my wife of 16 years, Amy, and we have two daughters, ages 14 and 11. We are very active in our community, from volunteering at school, working at community events and being active members in our church.
Accolades & Accomplishments
• Sheriff since being appointed by Gov. Scott Walker in 2012
• Deputy Sheriff for Grant County - serving since 1995
• Served in the role of Detective from 1999-2001
• D.A.R.E. Officer - full time from 2002-2005 - part time until 2012
• Past Board Member of the Wisconsin D.A.R.E. Officers Association
• Field Training Officer as Patrol Deputy
• Supervisor of Field Training Program as Sergeant
• Patrol Sergeant for 7 years (July 2005 - August 2012)
• Internship Coordinator for Sheriff’s Office during time as Sergeant
• Certified Instructor through Wisconsin Training and Standards and Southwest Technical College - Vehicle Contacts, Professional Communications, Crash Investigation and Scene Management
• Member of the Board of Directors for the Badger State Sheriff’s Association
• Member of the Southwest Technical College Law • Enforcement Curriculum Advisory Board
• Part-time Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville - Criminal Justice Fitness Course
• Cooper Law Enforcement Fitness Specialist
• Member of the Leadership/Management Committee - Wisconsin Training and Standards
• Board Member - Youth Council of the Southwest Wisconsin Workforce Development
• Curriculum Advisory Board Member - Wisconsin Law Enforcement Training & Standards
Training
• Ethical Leadership for Law Enforcement -2003
• First Line Supervisory Course - Sponsored by Wisconsin Department of Justice - 2005
• Leadership in Police Organizations - International Association of Chiefs of Police - 2006-2007
• FBI - Law Enforcement Executive Development Association - Executive Survival: Policing in the 21st Century
• FBI National Academy Graduate - 2011
• Incident Command (NIMS) Trained
• New Chiefs and Sheriffs Training - 2013
What made me get into law enforcement?
When I started looking at careers in high school, I looked at the criminal justice field. There are many different jobs within the criminal justice field and law enforcement was appealing as it was a job that worked with people, gave you the opportunity to work with the community to keep it safe and is a job that is different each day. Law Enforcement is a challenging career and after 19 years, it continues to be great career.
Why are you running for sheriff?
The Office of Sheriff is a position with great responsibility and needs someone with not only experience, but the needed training and education to properly run the Office of Sheriff. Not only do you need to understand all the aspects of law enforcement, but you need to have a broader expanse of knowledge to include budgeting, communications, corrections, public speaking, public employment law, collective bargaining knowledge, leadership and management skills. If you combine all of these skills, I believe I have a much more rounded background to properly lead the office of Sheriff and have demonstrated that over the past two years.
During the course of my career, I have taken every opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills in all of these areas. I spent many years on patrol working the evening shift, then spent a couple of years as detective, three years as full time DARE officer and then seven years as patrol sergeant before being appointed as Sheriff by the Governor in 2012.
I have an educational background in Criminal Justice to include a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a graduate certificate from the University of Virginia. In addition I have taken classes in first line supervision, leadership in police organizations, as well as ethical leadership. Many of these classes were taken shortly after I was promoted to Sergeant in 2005. Additionally, I was honored, in 2011, to be accepted into the FBI National Academy, which is a 10 week intensive upper level leadership school taught by the FBI.
I also took the opportunity to be trained in dispatch and the jail so that I could fully understand those functions within the Sheriff’s Office. I made a commitment to train new police recruits and have been teaching at Southwest Technical College in the police academy since 1998, along with conducting in-service training at the Sheriff’s Office.
Community involvement should also be something the Sheriff should be part of and I am active in my community, by coaching youth sports, serving as a deacon at my church, playing the drums with several groups in various communities, as well as volunteering at many other community and school functions.
I believe it is my background, experience, and involvement in the community, along with two years of experience as Sheriff that makes me the best candidate for Sheriff and the citizens should be confident knowing that I will run the Office of Sheriff with professionalism, transparency, and openness.
The law enforcement center appears to be at a crossroads, with several ideas floated in the past few years on what to do, from renovation, addition, etc. The next few questions will be about specifics about this issue.
What are your thoughts on the current state and space constraints of the jail and huber dorm? What do you think makes the most sense for the future of the facility?
Over the years there has been much discussion on the Grant County jail and several different ideas have been tossed around as possible solutions. The original section of the jail (which includes the Huber dorm), was built in 1957 and is really starting to show it’s age. The larger back section of the jail was built in 1983 and was characterized in one of the more recent studies, as being 10 years outdated when it was built, based on the linear design. There are many concerns about the facility, such as the lack of a space for health exams by the nursing staff, storage space for things such as the medical cart, as well as other concerns. During the past 15 years, it has been looked at on several occasions to see which direction the county should go in making improvements, including looking at a regional jail. Most recently over the past two years another plan was looked at very hard, but in the end the county board decided to make the needed repairs on the Grant County Courthouse. Once that was decided, we continued to have discussions on what direction we should go with the jail, including wanting to put together a committee of board members and department heads to look at not only the jail, but also the Social Services building and other buildings. After some discussion on this with various board members and the County Board Chairman, it was decided that the best route was to have the Administrative Committee continue the discussion. In fact it was discussed in June at their meeting.
The county has a challenge in front of them as they continue looking at capital improvements throughout the county. There are significant issues with several of the buildings that need to be addressed. The jail is one of those that will need to be looked at very strongly, as it’s an aging facility that houses people 24/7.
If you look at what makes the most sense for the facility, we need to focus on what will meet our current needs, as well preparing for future crime trends and inmate population trends.
Some options to be considered would be a remodel of the current facility, a new facility or a combined facility with some of the other departments that have building needs. Whatever direction the county board decides to go, some decisions will need to be made within the near future to make sure we are moving forward. I am confident that the Administrative Committee and County Board will continue working to plan for the future of the buildings in Grant County.
What do you feel needs to be done about the dispatch center in the building? Any thoughts also on what role the Platteville municipal dispatch may play in covering county dispatch needs?
The current communications center at the Sheriff’s office is adequate for our current needs. There are some space concerns we have identified and have considered moving it to a different location within the facility, but no decision has been made due to the continued discussions on the facility as a whole. We have started some planning to upgrade some software and hardware within the center, in addition we have been monitoring the movement of “Text to 911” nationwide to make sure we are preparing for an eventual transition.
The discussions with the City of Platteville in regards to combining dispatch centers, at this point have stopped, as the Grant County Law Enforcement Committee is not interested in looking at this further. As it stands right now, we are the backup dispatch center for each other and this works well. For example if we look at June 16th and should there have been further damage in the city that resulted in the dispatch center being unable to operate, our center could have taken over temporarily and the same for them should something happen to ours. I will always be open to discussion on this in the future, but right now the dispatch centers need to remain where they are to provide the best services to the citizens.
What about space for officers, detectives, training, evidence? What do you think of the current configuration and what is needed in the future?
The planning of the future of the Sheriff’s Office includes looking at space needs and improvements not only for the jail, but the other areas as well. This includes dispatch, investigations, patrol, evidence, training and administration. There will need to be some improvements to the work area of the patrol deputies and our evidence room. We will be transitioning to a new way to handle our evidence in the very near future, as this was one of my priorities when I took over. The equipment is being purchased and our RMS (Records Management System) is being configured to start managing the evidence room. As the Administrative Committee continues to look at our facility, we will review the current configuration and determine our needs, outside of the jail, for the future.
Any building project would have to be approved by the Grant County Board. How would you approach moving forward to have a successful project? How much of a priority would a jail/dispatch center project be during the next four years?
One of the things that I feel I have been successful with over the past two years is my working with the county board. I believe we currently have a board who wants to plan for the future of Grant County and I am looking forward to working with them. To have a successful project, there needs to be open discussion and planning prior to the completion of the courthouse renovation, so that there can be a solid direction for the next building project.
Determining priority is based on a variety of factors. The biggest issue we face at the Sheriff’s Office is the potential for a lawsuit due to the condition of the facility and lack of an isolated medical area, but there are just as important issues with some of the other county buildings as well. Obviously I am biased, as the jail is my responsibility, however; there are legitimate concerns with the facility that need to be addressed sooner than later. The longer we wait; there is greater potential the costs will continue to rise.
Any other thoughts about the law enforcement center that you were not able to cover above?
The potential project for the Law Enforcement Center will be one that will take some time to plan and implement. In the meantime, it’s imperative that we do some type of preventative maintenance at the facility to try and keep it from degrading further. Recently we have done a considerable amount of painting on the exterior to protect the window sills, doors and other exposed cement surfaces. This was a very cost effective way to make the facility look better and protect surfaces at the same time. As the planning meetings continue, we will always work towards making sure the facility is safe and secure.
What are your thoughts on staffing/schedules in the department? What changes would you/have you made concerning this?
Staffing and scheduling are two issues under constant review. As it stands right now, the shifts that are set for patrol, dispatch and jail are working effectively and efficiently. Several years ago the patrol deputies switched to a 10-hour shift rotation, allowing for overlapping shifts and better training. We are one of the better trained law enforcement agencies in Southwest Wisconsin because of the 10 hour shifts. Each month the K9 handlers and the Crisis Resolution Team (SWAT) train without costing any overtime. Additionally we have in-service training every other month for the deputies, again without expending overtime for training. This has led us to having the ability to improve our training, so we are better equipped to deal with situations as they arise.
Last fall we recognized that we were using more than usual overtime in the jail, based on a variety of factors. As we reviewed the reasons for the increase in overtime, we recognized a need to add an additional full time jailer to decrease the overtime used and do the additional duties that were identified when we reviewed it. So you can see that overtime, staffing and scheduling is continually reviewed to make sure we are being efficient and effective.
What program would you look to implement or expand?
There are so many different programs that would benefit the citizens of Grant County. The priority would be to continue working towards a strategic plan for the Sheriff’s Office that would include maintaining a fiscally responsible budget and planning for future projects (dispatch center upgrades, equipment replacement schedules, as well as facility needs), all while continuing to provide quality public safety.
Additionally, I would like to implement a program like Project Lifesaver, which would allow families with children having autism or elderly family members to have a bracelet, allowing tracking of them should they wander off. Two of the counties surrounding us have implemented similar programs, and after speaking with the director of ADRC, I feel there is a need for it and would like to continue pursuing avenues to implement it.
What do you think of the DARE and K9 programs?
The Grant County DARE program is going strong, thanks to the dedicated efforts of Deputies McQuillan, Gallagher and Day. The three of them teach with such passion, energy and dedication, they truly are making an impact on the children. The question always is asked: Is the DARE program effective? I would answer that I believe it is, as it is constantly updated to keep current with nationwide curriculum standards and it gives students the opportunity to hear a message of making good choices from a different source (a uniformed deputy). Lastly, it allows the students and school staff the chance to meet and work with law enforcement, creating good working relationships.
The K9 program continues to thrive, as our K9’s and handlers, Deputy Fitzgerald and Hottenstein, are very active, not only on patrol, but with giving public presentations and training. We currently have two K9’s and handlers and the City of Boscobel recently obtained their own, which will be extremely beneficial to the citizens of Boscobel. As the K9’s age out, the Sheriff’s Office has planned ahead and has the funds available to replace the K9 immediately, which would be done as they are a very valuable resource for our local law enforcement (not only drugs, but evidence locating and finding missing persons as well).
How much community outreach should the sheriff’s department be actively involved in? What are your thoughts about interaction, as well as transparency?
One of my goals after being appointed as Sheriff was to increase the amount of community outreach the Sheriff’s Office does during the year. I have encouraged the deputies as they are out on patrol to make sure they are stopping in at the businesses and meeting with owners. I have received feedback from these business owners and they are pleased that the deputies are stopping by and talking with them.
Over the past two years, we had several groups of employees that stepped forward to do some very successful community fundraising events. The first group put together a series of food stands in various communities during the summer, which raised a significant amount of money to be given to Badger Camp. This past May, another group of Sheriff’s Office employees (including the spouses), put together an event called the “Run from the Cops” 5K run & 1 Mile walk. This was done to benefit the Grant County S.A.F.E. Coalition and was a huge success.
I think it’s important that the community gets to know its public safety personnel, as it allows for a better exchange of information. Social media, news releases, annual reports and a Sheriff’s web site are all ways to give transparency to the Sheriff’s Office. I started the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and web site as ways to achieve greater transparency. I am looking forward to what ideas the Sheriff’s Office employees will come up with to get us out working with the citizens more frequently. Community events also allow greater interaction with the public. For those of you who enjoyed the “Run from the Cops” I have been told they have plans in place to do it again next year.
What are your thoughts on contracting with municipalities for added patrols?
The Sheriff’s Office currently has a full time deputy who covers the contracts for the following: Villages of Livingston, Montfort, Blue River, Woodman, Mount Hope, Bagley and Jamestown Township. These municipalities contacted the Sheriff’s Office with a specific need, someone to address their local ordinances. This has been very effective, as we’ve seen a reduction in some of the petty crime within these villages. We will continue to offer contract services and as we are approached by various villages and townships, we will meet with them to determine how we can help them address their needs.
Any other issues you feel are important for the voters to know about yourself, or about items they should think about before voting, please share those at this time.....
Since being appointed as your Sheriff in 2012 by Gov. Scott Walker, my priorities have been and will continue to be fiscal responsibility, educating our youth about the dangers of drugs, being tough on crime and improving transparency within the Sheriff’s Department.
As a voter, I would ask that you make sure you educate yourself on the candidates. It is my hope that as you have read my answers to the questions, you have seen my passion to serve the citizens of Grant County and the plan I have for the future of public safety in Grant County. I am asking for your vote on August 12.
--------------Responses to the 'Meet the Candidates' weekly segments-----------------
What is the mindset you want to convey to each deputy as they head out into the county?
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is staffed with some of the finest people in public safety; from dispatch, to the jail, to the patrol deputies. Over the course of the past year, we have worked to develop a set of Core Values within the Sheriff’s Office that will hopefully guide them in their interactions with public and give them the mindset to succeed in their jobs.
Core values, in any organization, are the essential enduring tenets which guide the members of the organization. They set forth what we believe and define how we should conduct our affairs. We believe in and developed core values such as: teamwork, role modeling, integrity, tradition, ownership,
respect, loyalty, continuous improvement and trustworthiness.
The deputies are handed an additional task, as they are asked to often times put themselves in extreme danger, while at the same time deal with the citizens in a courteous, professional manner. We send them out with the mindset that they go home safely each night. We do this through training on a regular basis and by consistently reviewing incidents to make improvements. We also stress the importance of treating each contact with citizens as if it were the only contact that person would every have with
law enforcement and leave them with a respected opinion of law enforcement.
I believe the key to having deputies with the right mindset, is to make sure they are offered training on a regular basis to continually improve their job skills. I am a strong proponent of professional development and will continue to make sure that the employees of the Sheriff’s Office are the best trained, so they can provide exceptional customer service to the citizens of Grant County they protect and serve.
What are your thoughts on the current state of crime in Grant County?
What is the most troubling issue you see, and what is one way to tackle it?
Grant County is, in my opinion, still one of the safest places to live in Wisconsin. If you look at crime statistics, from year to year it can appear we have some increases in crime but then a drop the next year. But if we look at what calls we at the Sheriff’s Office have responded to, you can see our volume of calls have not fluctuated much over the past several years (13,998 in 2013 and 14,154 in 2012).
Looking at these calls, I noted the most prevalent type of reported crime is property crime, including thefts, criminal damage to property and burglary. Although we do live in rural Wisconsin, citizens of Grant County should be on constant alert to make sure their vehicles and belongings are properly secured. Although I will maintain we live in a very safe area, there are still many reports of petty theft, which should alert citizens to secure their belongings. We also continue to receive reports of various types of scams and attempts at identity theft. The best piece of advice for protecting yourself from a scam or identity theft is to simply not give out any information, to anyone who contacts you unsolicited. Additionally the old adage is applicable, “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
If we look at violent crimes, we’ve seen a drop in the number of arrests for assault and disorderly conduct from 2012 to 2013. We hope this is a trend that will continue throughout 2014.
The most troubling issue started about 2 years ago. The Sheriff’s Office and many other law enforcement agencies in Grant County began responding to abnormally large amount of burglaries and thefts. Not only did this create many victims of crimes, it put a tremendous amount of pressure on law enforcement to try and find the suspects. As it turns out the many of the suspects in these cases were addicted to heroin. Heroin will control your life, leading you to do whatever it takes to get the next dose, including stealing, breaking into other people’s property and taking things from your own family.
The idea that drugs cause people to do property crimes should not be assumed, but there is strong evidence showing there is a high propensity for an addicted person to revert to crime to supply their addiction. Death is the other side of the coin with heroin, and we’ve experienced it here in Grant County on several occasions.
So the biggest question is what do we do about it? A friend of mine recently wrote an excellent research paper on this very topic. As part of her research, she created a survey that was given to family members of heroin addicts. The question she asked was: What is the best method toward stopping heroin addiction?
Here are the responses she received:
• More education & sharing in grade and middle school - 54.34% or 119 responses
• Educating, encouraging strong family structures - 25.57% or 56 responses
• Mandatory drug testing in schools and businesses. - 11.42% or 25 responses
• More drug enforcement at state and federal levels - 8.68% or 19 responses
These are the answers from those who have experienced first hand the effects of heroin on families. I am proud to say I had the opportunity to be part of multiple heroin educational panels throughout Grant County this past spring, which based on this survey appears to one of the better ways to work towards stopping heroin addiction.
You can also see that more drug enforcement is not the only answer, although it is one piece of the puzzle. As the Sheriff for Grant County, I have taken an active role in all portions in our fight against heroin, from participating in education panels, making it a priority for our drug task force and meeting with state legislators to develop new laws to help combat heroin statewide. I remain steadfast in my commitment to the citizens in doing whatever I can to keep heroin from spreading further into our county and affecting our young people.
You and your opponent have worked a number of years together in the same department. What is one thing that you feel differentiates you from the other when it comes to law enforcement and what it takes to be sheriff? What is one thing you respect about your opponent?
The role of Sheriff is much different than that of a patrol deputy out doing law enforcement duties. Not only do you need to understand all the aspects of law enforcement, but you need to have a broader expanse of knowledge to include budgeting, communications, corrections, public speaking, public employment law, collective bargaining knowledge, leadership and management skills. If you combine all of these skills, I believe I have a much more rounded background to properly lead the office of Sheriff and have demonstrated that since being appointed by Governor Scott Walker in 2012.
During the course of my career, I have taken every opportunity to expand my knowledge and skills in all of these areas. I spent many years on patrol working the evening shift, then spent a couple of years as detective, three years as full time DARE officer and then seven years as patrol sergeant before being appointed as Sheriff by the Governor in 2012.
I have an educational background in Criminal Justice to include a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a graduate certificate from the University of Virginia. In addition I have taken classes in first line supervision, leadership in police organizations, as well as ethical leadership. Many of these classes were taken shortly after I was promoted to Sergeant in 2005. Additionally, I was honored, in 2011, to be accepted into the FBI National Academy, which is a 10 week intensive upper level leadership school taught by the FBI.
I also took the opportunity to be trained in dispatch and the jail so that I could fully understand those functions within the Sheriff’s Office. Additionally I was part of the first Clandestine Laboratory Response Team in Wisconsin, which responded to meth labs in the Wisconsin. As part of this team, we did extensive training to many different groups in Southwest Wisconsin informing them of the dangers of meth labs and the waste products. I have also been teaching at Southwest Technical College in the police academy since 1998, making a commitment to train new police recruits, along with conducting in-service training at the Sheriff’s Office.
Community involvement should also be something the Sheriff should be part of and I am active in my community, by coaching youth sports, serving as a deacon at my church, playing the drums with several groups in various communities, as well as volunteering at many other community and school functions.
I believe it is my background, experience, and involvement in the community, along with two years of experience as Sheriff, that differentiates me from my opponent and the citizens should be confident that I will run the Office of Sheriff with professionalism, transparency, and openness.
Sergeant Ed Breitsprecker has been a valued member of the Sheriff’s Office for many years. He developed the field training program for the patrol deputy, which gave better training to the new deputies when we hire them. Sgt. Breitsprecker was also instrumental in the formation of the Sheriff’s Office Dive Team along with making improvements in our firearms training program. I respect and appreciate his service to our Country and our County.
