Retiring the shield: Milbrandt concludes 43 year career in law enforcement

Mark Milbrandt started his career in law enforcement as a part time job as a corrections officer, but rose through the ranks over the years eventually earning the voters endorsement as sheriff in 1994.

Looking back, Milbrandt said, he pursue this career field with the end goal of being sheriff. When he was hired as a corrections officer in 1979, Milbrandt said, he was just looking for a part-time job and found that he liked the field and stayed with it. And, over the years, different promotion opportunities became available from deputy, to investigator to chief deputy and eventually running for sheriff.

Milbrandt sat down with the American News earlier this month. With weeks left before his tenure in the Brown County Sheriff's Office ends, it's clear he's proud of the family-like atmosphere in his office. His employees can both joke around when appropriate and knuckle down when it's time to be serious.

He's also investigated his share of cases. Some of which stick with him long after they're solved -- like his first murder investigation. Milbrandt said that one started off as a missing person's case until his body was found west of town by a farmer.

Milbrandt said a new chemical at that time -- luminol -- was used to process one of the vehicles for evidence.

"It lit up," he said.

Luminol is a chemical that can be sprayed on a surface and detect trace amounts of blood.

Milbrandt said as investigators continued looking into the case, which was a year-long investigation, he said, they just kept working the evidence.

But, he said, while this case will stick with him because it was his first murder investigation, all cases are important, including the unsolved cases that never get a resolution.

And, he said, while investigations and crimes get the headlines, it's only a fraction of what deputies do on a daily basis.

"People don't understand what a sheriff is responsible for," he said explaining that it's more than just law enforcement investigations. The other part of the job is foreclosure sales, processing distress warrants, executions and warrants related to felony or misdemeanor charges.

Milbrandt said distress warrants are filed when someone has been awarded a civil claim against another person in court. That distress warrant gives the sheriff the authority to seize property to satisfy that claim.

But, he said, processing each of those warrants takes time because deputies first need to find the person who is the subject of the claim or the warrant.

The sheriff is also responsible for the operation of the jail, Juvenile Detention Center and the 911 Communications Center, which is overseen by the Communications Council.

While many changes have happened over the years, one has been the fluctuating capacity at the Brown County Jail, which started as a facility designed to house 70 people, before capacity was reduced to 48.

While there are several programs available to reduce the population at the jail like the 24-7 program, which requires twice daily breathalyzer tests; and GPS monitoring, the need is there for a new jail, which is operating at capacity.

The county purchased a building for a new space but determining the financing for the development of the jail is key and has yet to be determined.

Milbrandt's term is complete at the end of December. Come January, that's when Chief Deputy Dave Lunzman will become Sheriff Dave Lunzman. He ran unopposed in November. Filling the chief deputy seat will be deputy/investigator Jon Lemke.

Lunzman has learned just how much more happens in the Sheriff's Office

Lunzman came to the sheriff's office as chief deputy four years ago. It's the third law enforcement agency he's worked for as he started his career with the Aberdeen Police Department before working for the Division of Criminal Investigation. After retiring as a DCI agent, Lunzman spent a couple years investigating elder abuse cases through the Attorney General's office.

Working for the sheriff's office, he said, is a learning experience because the sheriff's office does everything other law enforcement agencies do and more.

That includes not only civil papers that need to be processed and warrants, he said, but also paperwork that's filed for conceal carry permits. It's a workload, he said, that was "way more than I realized."

But, Lunzman also agrees that the employees all pull together, especially in a crisis. The most recent example he gave happened last week when there was a water leak in the jail. Not only did maintenance need to come in and address the leak and re-route the lines to restore service, but employees quickly suggested ordering pizza since the kitchen couldn't be used.

In that situation, he said, not one employee looked at the water leak as something that wasn't their problem. Instead, he said, they worked together to problem solve and meet the needs at the jail.

As he gets ready to move into his new position, Lunzman said, he knows he doesn't have all the answers, but he's got a good foundation and he hopes the county is able to move forward with development of a new jail, which he sees as the biggest issue facing the county right now.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Brown County sheriff retiring after 48 years in law enforcement