Law Enforcement


DATE: September 12, 2006

The regular meeting of the Sauk County Law Enforcement Committee was held on Tuesday, September 12, 2006, in room D102A-Community Room, 1300 Lange Court, Baraboo, Wisconsin.

The meeting was properly posted and all interested parties were notified.

Members Present: Stevens, Tollaksen, Sinklair, Montgomery, Wheeler

Members Absent:

Members Excused:

Others Present: R. Stammen; R. Meister; M. Hafemann; K. Fults; J. Prantner;
W. Schneider, Sauk County Humane Society; T. Lange and T. Mashak, Co-op Country Partners; J. Spencer; B. Manning

  1. Call To Order and Certification of Open Meeting Law:

    The meeting was called to order and compliance with the Open Meeting Law was certified by Chair Donald Stevens at 9:40 AM.

  2. Agenda:

    Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Sinklair, to adopt the agenda.
    Motion carried.

  3. Approve Minutes of Previous Meeting(s):

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Sinklair, to approve the minutes of the regular Law Enforcement Committee meeting held on August 8, 2006.
    Motion carried.

  4. Communications:

    Sheriff Stammen gave the committee copies of four written communications.

    1. A letter from the Wisconsin Department of Correction announcing the appointment of Nathan White as the Detention Facilities Specialist for the Southern Region,
    2. A letter from Sergeant Jim Antisdel of the Oak Creek Police Department commending four Sauk County Sheriff's Office employees who recently participated in advanced training for Honor Guard. Nicole Luth, Trista Lins, Erik Knull and Mitch Schauff were all recognized for their outstanding performance and dedication.
    3. The Lake Delton Police Department Assistant Chief David Leifer wrote to thank the department for allowing Jared Mayer, a Security Deputy, to participate in boat patrol on Lake Delton over the summer months.
    4. The fourth item concerned a Sauk County Deputy's request for a year's leave of absence to spend with the Civilian Police International, a United Nations peace keeping unit. This item will be referred to the Personnel Committee and Personnel Director Michelle Koehler.
  5. Public Comment:

    There was no public comment.

  6. Appearances:
    1. Sauk County Animal Shelter Operations Update

      The Shelter update was presented by Shelter Director Wendy Schneider. She reported that 79 dogs were taken in at the Shelter in the past month and 50 dogs were adopted. There were 110 cats and kittens taken in and 75 were adopted. The number of animals being brought to the Shelter or picked up by the animal control officers has greatly increased over last year's figures.

      The Animal Shelter will hold an open house on October 7th, 2006, and Schneider reported that adoptions usually increase once school starts and people have completed their summer vacation plans.

  7. Review and Approval of August, , Bills for Coroner and Sheriff's Department:
    The Coroner's bills included the expense of one autopsy.

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Montgomery, to approve payment of the August, 2006, bills for the Coroner in the amount of $2,884.70.
    Motion carried.

    Motion by Sinklair, seconded by Tollaksen, to approve payment of the Sheriff's Department's August, 2006, expenses in the amount of $129,815.78.
    Motion carried.

  8. Consideration of Acceptance of $2,932 Office of Justice Assistance Grant for Digital Recording of Custodial Interviews:

    The acceptance of this grant was made some time ago. Detective Lieutenant Kevin Fults reported to the committee that the equipment to be purchased had been researched and Sauk County will be purchasing five small digital recorders and three digital transcribing stations with the grant money. More can be purchased as budgetary circumstances permit.

    Sheriff Stammen pointed out that recent changes in state law have had an impact on the questioning of suspects and there will be more and more situations that will have to be recorded. The digital systems provide better sound quality.

    Motion by Tollaksen, seconded by Montgomery, to approve the purchase of the five digital recorders and the three digital transcribing stations equipment. Motion carried.

  9. Consideration of Bids and Resolution Authorization to Purchase One 2007 Four-Wheel-Drive Pick Up Truck:

    Bid specification sheets were sent to all new vehicle vendors in Sauk County and to Kayser Ford of Madison, which has the state bid pricing for 2007. The following bids for a 2007 four-wheel-drive pick up truck were received. The bids were specified with trade of a 2000 Ford Expedition:

    Glacier Valley Ford 2007 F250 after trade $22,550
    Baraboo, WI (gas engine)

    Baraboo Motors 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 half ton after trade $20,073
    Baraboo, WI (gas engine)

    2007 Dodge Ram 5.7 liter after trade $22,006
    (gas engine)

    2007 2500 Ram 5.9 liter after trade $26,835
    (diesel engine)

    Kayser Ford 2007 Ford F150 $25,713, after trade $23,213
    Madison, WI (gas engine)

    2007 Ford F250 $25,088, after trade $22,588
    (gas engine)

    Options: diesel engine $4,260 additional
    Limited slip $ 250 additional
    Running brds $ 310 additional
    4 X 4 shift $ 160 additional
    Final total w/options $27,568

    Ballweg Ford 2007 Ford F150 $26,300, after trade $23,800
    Sauk City, WI (gas engine)

    2007 Ford F250 $24,835, after trade $22,335
    (gas engine)

    2007 Ford F250 $28,991, after trade $26,491
    (diesel engine)

    Ballweg Chevrolet 2007 Chevrolet 1500 $27,455, after trade $24,955
    Sauk City, WI (gas engine)

    2007 Chevrolet 2500 $27,308, after trade $24,808
    (gas engine)

    2007 Chevrolet 2500 $32,650, after trade $30,150
    (diesel engine)

    Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Tollaksen, to accept the bid of Baraboo Motors for a 2007 Dodge Ram with a 5.7 liter diesel engine, and to take a resolution for the purchase to the Sauk County Board of Supervisors.

    Stevens and Montgomery voted yes; Sinklair, Tollaksen and Wheeler voted no. Those voting no wanted objective information on performance, fuel economy and repair records prior to making a final decision. The Sheriff was also instructed to test drive the respective vehicles.

    Motion failed and the item will be brought back on the October agenda.

  10. Discussion of Possible Contract with Co-op Country Partners For Setting Gas Pricing for 2007:

    Sheriff Stammen said this item was a response to Supervisor Scott Alexander's suggestion in regard to the matter of fuel costs to county departments. Tim Lange and Travis Mashak of Co-op Country Partners presented two options for attempting to offset the volatile vehicle fuel market. One option is a VISA credit card with a 3% cash back option and the second is locking in a price by prepaying a nonrefundable upfront premium. The options will be further researched and the item will be put on the agenda for the October meeting.

  11. Consideration of SWAT Medic Training in Redmond, Washington, for Deputy Josip Sabol:

    Detective Sergeant Joe Welsch was the SWAT medic prior to his resignation. The specialized training goes beyond that required to perform conventional EMT functions, and is similar to military corpsmen training. The training at Redmond, Washington, is one of the very few such courses offered in the United States to law enforcement personnel and the total cost with air fare, meals, a rental car and housing is estimated to be under $2,200. This training is the same as that authorized several years ago for Detective Welsch.

    Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Sinklair, to authorize sending Deputy Joe Sabol to the specialized SWAT medic training in Redmond, Washington, in October, 2006.
    Motion carried.

  12. Discuss Koenecke's Unmarked Squad Bid:

    The committee accepted the bid of Koenecke Ford for the three 2007 Ford Taurus vehicles to be used as unmarked squad cars at the August, 2006, meeting. After the purchase of the vehicles was authorized Koenecke told Captain Meister that they couldn't honor the bid because the 2007 Ford Taurus vehicles are no longer being made and they aren't available.

    Sheriff Stammen said he had written to Koenecke Ford stating his concerns about their canceling their bids after the process to approve the purchase had been followed. This is the second time there has been an issue with a bid from Koenecke. He had also conferred with Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman, County Comptroller Kerry Beghin and Administrative Coordinator Kathy Schauf. The purchase of the vehicles from the next lowest bidder was authorized under exigent circumstances.

    This item was informational.

  13. 2007 Sheriff's Budget Request:

    The committee received copies of the 2007 budget that will be discussed with the Finance Committee on Thursday, September 14, 2006. The only changes were those made based on the meeting with Kathy Schauf, Michelle Koehler, Kerry Beghin and Steve Pate and were very minor changes.

    Chair Stevens requested clarification on a few budget items that had been questioned by another county supervisor.

  14. Sheriff's Report:
    1. Jail Report

      The committee received a list of the charges against those persons booked into the Sauk County Jail in the month of July. An individual detainee might have more than one charge against him/her but the list of charges shows the range of offenses in a single month.

      August billings for out-of-county housing revenues totaled $102,561.72. The year-to-date total is $763,620.95.

      One more inmate in the jail earned a GED.

      Electronic monitoring for July covered 286 offender days and involved 18 inmates. The program brought in $3,013.61 after expenses were paid for lease of the equipment.

    2. Communication Center

      The committee received a report generated by the Communication Center Supervisor showing a three-year comparison in calls for service.

    3. Field Services Report

      There were no fatal car crashes in Sauk County in the month of August.

      A female received a bruised arm when the boat she was riding in on Lake Redstone was approached by the Sauk County water patrol boat. The patrol boat's steering rudder was bent causing the deputy to have difficulty turning the boat as he approached the other craft. The woman was bruised and her boat was scratched in the incident. The cost of repairing the scratch will sent to the county's insurance carrier.

      There were 141 prisoner transports in August, bringing the year-to-date total to 857.

      One of the deputies has a deer run into the side of his squad causing minor damage.

      An off-duty deputy, who injured his knee in a motorcycle crash, will be having surgery and will be off work for an undetermined time.

    4. Administration Report

      There were 24 hours of paid supervisory hours; 12 for working highway safety grants, 6 hours for investigation of an arson fire, 2 hours for team training and 4 hours worked to avoid ordering in union employees.

  15. Adjourn To Date Specific:

    The next regular meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, 2006, at 9:30 AM.

    Motion by Montgomery, seconded by Sinklair, to adjourn the meeting.
    Motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted: Robert Sinklair, Secretary