Meet the candidates for Sheboygan County sheriff. They talk top public safety issues, the department's Indigenous-based logo and more.
SHEBOYGAN - Incumbent Sheboygan County Sheriff Cory Roeseler, a Republican, will face Independent challenger Jarrod Fenner in the Nov. 8 election.
Roeseler was appointed and then elected sheriff in 2018 and is running for another four-year term. He has worked for the department for more than 30 years, including positions of deputy, corporal, detective, lieutenant and captain.
Fenner has 21 years of experience working as a patrol officer for the department. He is running as an Independent on the slogan, "Keeping Politics Out of Policing."
Fenner, facing termination, resigned from the department in July after an internal investigation found he lied on minor reports. A captain in the sheriff's office opened the investigation soon after Fenner announced his candidacy for sheriff. Fenner said his “mistakes” would not have amounted to more than corrective action if not for his candidacy.
The sheriff's office is responsible for maintaining the jail, running the communication center (dispatch), ensuring safety in the courthouse and patrolling the land and waterways of Sheboygan County. The department has many specialized teams, including a SWAT team, dive team, drone team, boat patrol team and negotiation team, among others, Roeseler said.
The Sheboygan Press asked each candidate to fill out a questionnaire before the election explaining why they are running and their positions on issues. Some responses were lightly edited for clarity.
For information about registering to vote and polling locations, visit myvote.wi.gov.
Meet the candidates
Name: Jarrod Fenner
Age: 47
Street adress: South Eighth Street, Sheboygan
Highest educational attainment: I completed my education in criminal justice-police science at Lakeshore Technical College, Cleveland, receiving an associate degree in 1997. I also received certification from the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board for a law enforcement officer that same year.
Campaign website: Fenner for Sheriff on Facebook and www.fennerforsheriff.com
Law enforcement positions held: I began my law enforcement career as a part-time patrol officer with the Village of Kohler. I served 21 years as a deputy in the patrol division of the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office, while continuing as a part-time patrol officer with the Village of Kohler. While assigned to the sheriff’s office patrol division, I was an active member of the department’s crash reconstruction team for eight years, and specially trained in animal abuse and neglect incidents, working closely with the Sheboygan County Humane Society. I also served as an investigator with the Sheboygan County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Unit for 30 months (two-and-a-half years), working with many agencies around the area and state.
Relevant experience: I made the decision to run for sheriff for many reasons. Two main reasons, first, to make Sheboygan County a better safer place to live and visit. Second, to make the sheriff’s office a better place to work and advance. With these in mind, I believe being a patrol deputy for my entire career has kept me close in touch with the community and their wants and needs. The sheriff is there to serve the community, not the particular wants and needs of a said person. Giving 21 years of service, I am aware of the wants and needs of the employees of the sheriff’s office as well. Being “in the trenches” for this amount of time is some of the best experience one can get and truly gives a bird's eye view of what needs to change.
Name: Cory Roeseler
Age: 52
Street address: North Eighth Street, Sheboygan
Highest educational attainment: I completed an associate degree in police science from Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. I have furthered my education by attending Leadership in Police Organizations, Executive Development and numerous other leadership classes.
Campaign website: Cory for Sheriff on Facebook
Law enforcement positions held: I started my career as a dispatcher with the Kiel Police Department and eventually as a part-time patrolman in 1988. I was hired by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department in 1990 as a deputy and moved to Sheboygan after being hired as a deputy with Sheboygan County in 1991. I was a field training officer, a member of the SWAT and Boat Patrol teams. I was promoted to the rank of Corporal for two years and then to detective. While I was a detective, I was assigned to the Drug Unit for two years before being promoted to the lieutenant of criminal investigations in 2004. In 2006, I was promoted to the captain of patrol and eventually took over the role of captain of patrol and the Criminal Investigation Division. During this time, I was also working as the part-time chief of police for the Village of Cascade. In 2018, I was appointed the sheriff of Sheboygan County. In 2018, I was elected sheriff by the citizens of Sheboygan County for a four-year term leading up to this election.
Relevant experience: I have more than 33 years in law enforcement with many years of experience in different areas of law enforcement. I have attended hundreds of hours of training, including leadership training, death investigation, internal investigation, diversity training, undercover drug investigation and new sheriff’s and chief training.
I have served in many different positions at the sheriff’s office and each one has prepared me and assisted in my development as sheriff. I have been the sheriff for five years and the learning curve is steep. There are so many components like budgeting, staffing, hiring, jail operations and employee matters that are very complicated and take up a lot of time. I have been able to benefit by learning these areas over my 33 years at the agency in the numerous roles I have had.
I further assist several non-profit organizations like the United Way and several governmental groups like Highway Safety Commissions and the OWI Task Force.
Why are you running for sheriff?
Fenner: There were numerous factors that led me to the decision to run for sheriff. There are two main reasons, however. First, the sheriff needs a stronger connection with the community. Sheboygan County’s citizens, along with its visitors, is a diverse group. These groups can offer vast information, knowledge, and ideas so law enforcement can better serve those we are sworn to serve and protect. When elected sheriff, it would be my priority to reach out to our county’s population, build better relationships and better serve our citizens.
Second, the department's administration needs to be more in touch with their employees. I want to encourage the employees, empower them and build the best public safety team. This will not only allow the sheriff’s office to better serve you, but help our agency with another problem we face, employee recruitment and retention. An employee who is supported is a happier employee.
Roeseler: I am running for another term as sheriff because I have a lot of work to finish yet. As sheriff, you take on the responsibilities of the whole agency and everyone in it. We have been able to increase the wages in several key staffing areas, manage three correctional facilities during a pandemic (downtown, Detention Center and Juvenile Detention), work through staffing issues, and manage the day-to-day issues of a law enforcement agency.
My administration has done so much over the past five years, but there is still so much to do yet. I still love coming to work every day and working hard for the citizens of Sheboygan County. We have a proven track record and I want to keep working hard for Sheboygan County. We have a great county and I want to continue to make it a great place to live and work.
Why are you the best candidate in this race?
Fenner: I am the best candidate for sheriff for one large factor. The major part of the sheriff’s office are the front-line workers, including the patrol deputies, correctional officers and communication officers, who are the ones interacting with the public on a daily basis. I have been a front-line worker for 21 years. The current sheriff has been an administrator for almost 20 years. I have worked side by side with the other department divisions and community. I have seen the effects of management decisions on employees and want to better communication with the community. I believe in employee empowerment and community partnerships.
Roeseler: I have the proven leadership and integrity that it takes to be a successful sheriff. I have five years of experience as sheriff and more than three decades of experience in law enforcement and supervision.
I have a very diverse work history in law enforcement that has prepared me to be a successful sheriff. I have an outstanding working relationship with the public and other law enforcement agencies. I am very dedicated to the citizens of Sheboygan County and work hard for them.
What is the most pressing public safety issue facing Sheboygan County, and how would you address it?
Fenner: Three things that the sheriff’s office needs progress on are the mental health, opioid and human trafficking crises. The mental health crisis has part in all of these issues as well as many other issues in which law enforcement come upon almost daily. I will make sure all deputies receive relevant training in the mental health field. I would collaborate with other county agencies such as Social Services, Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability, and the V.A.’s Office. I would also set up a program where a community member can report to a secured, voluntary registry and upload information about a loved one. There can be incidents where officers mistake an autistic individual or person in a mental health crisis as combative due to their condition. More information available could give the deputy responding the tools they need to deal with the situation.
Roeseler: We face many issues moving forward. Several of them are very pressing, such as human trafficking, jail overpopulation and budgeting. But the most important issues are the recruitment and retention of employees. Without the employees, these other areas are very hard to manage.
We have taken steps to shorten our hiring process and hire employees in a timely manner. We have also taken steps to evaluate the pay ranges for employees. We have to continue to retain current employees and recruit new ones so that we can continue to maintain staffing levels. Having the proper staffing is also what ensures that we have the ability to continue the levels of service that the citizens of Sheboygan County expect.
The governments of Indigenous nations within Wisconsin have asked schools and other organizations not to use Indigenous-based mascots. Would you support maintaining or changing the current sheriff’s office logo?
Editor's note: The current sheriff's office logo depicts an Indigenous chief wearing a headdress.
Fenner: When the current graphic on department patrol cars was pushed through, many department employees expressed their displeasure with the look of the design, and the disrespect it showed. I will commit that the graphics on the marked patrol cars of the sheriff’s office will begin changing immediately. I have already spoken to current department employees about how the department patrol cars can be improved, and remove the current design, which many may find offensive.
The current shoulder patch and logo of the sheriff’s office has been in place for many decades, and to replace the department branding would be a longer process. I am willing to meet with department and community members to research the possible change and update of the department branding.
Roeseler: First, let me state, we don’t have an Indigenous person as a mascot. When I first took office, I was asked about our patch and was fortunate enough to have help from my neighbor and the Sheboygan County Historical Society about this topic.
We have a patch on our uniform and squads that pay honor and respect to the tribes that helped shape Sheboygan County several hundreds of years ago. Sheboygan County had several tribes residing within it and had a large population of Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi living at the mouth of the Pigeon River. There are also examples of numerous tribes near Black River, Cascade, Elkhart and Crystal lakes. Our county is rich with tribal history.
Yet, what reminder do we have of their existence? Sheboygan means “where the water goes underground” and each day when residents or visitors see our deputies or squads, they are reminded of the history of Sheboygan County. There is nothing portraying it as anything savage or demeaning.
There was great thought put into this patch when it was designed back in the 1970s. While there are approximately 22 other law enforcement agencies in the state, and hundreds nationwide, that have this type of patch, Sheboygan County is unique to no other. Our patch shape is actually that of a stretched drum. The colors of red and yellow are that of blood and the sun. The Indian chief is the leader and keeper of peace within the tribe, just like law enforcement.
We want to honor the history of the tribes in Sheboygan County. If we no longer want to honor them, should we next change the name of our city and forget them altogether?
More: 'I had no idea this was still going on': Wisconsin parent appalled by race-based high school mascots
Yes or no: Would you continue an agreement to serve detainers to the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
Fenner: This is far from a yes or no question. The sheriff’s office serves a detainer on current inmates for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency does not, nor will it ever, participate in immigration sweeps at local employers. A detainer issued for a person currently in the custody of the sheriff’s office is usually for violations of violent crimes and facing deportation. Under federal law, the Customs Agency has 48 business hours to take custody of a detained person.
Roeseler: At this time, we do not have the ability to serve detainers with ICE and still require an agent to come to Sheboygan to do so. We have tried to complete this process but COVID has put that on hold. This is something we will explore in the future depending upon what the Federal Government requests.
More: Sheboygan protest takes aim at Sheriff's Department agreement with ICE
How to vote
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To vote, people must be registered and present a photo ID. People can register to vote in person at their municipal clerk's office or at the polling place the day of the election.
In-person voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 8.
People must vote at the polling location of the ward in which they live. As a result of redistricting, some wards have changed. People can find their voting location at myvote.wi.gov or by calling their municipal clerk's office.
Reach Maya Hilty at 920-400-7485 or MHilty@sheboygan.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @maya_hilty.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan County sheriff candidates on Native American logo, crime
