Lafayette County Sheriff
Jason King and Reg Gill are running as Republicans in the Aug. 12 primary for Lafayette County Sheriff. The winner will appear on the November ballot. Ralph Brown is running as a write-in candidate as a Democrat.
Jason King
Age: 39
City/town of residence: City of Darlington
Family: I am a 6th generation Lafayette County resident who has been married for 13 years. My wife, Tammy, and I have three children: Madyson (age 9), Landon (age 7), and Lillian (age 5), and one dog, Boomer.
Education: Associate's Degree in Police Science; Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Administration; Licensed EMT; Certified School Resource Officer; Certified D.A.R.E. Instructor; Graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Extension's Community Leadership Alliance; Graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School's Problem Oriented Leadership Institute for Chief Executives; Completed hundreds of hours in law enforcement training throughout my career.
Occupation: Chief of Police in Darlington.
Previous elected positions held or experience: I have served on many boards in the community and am currently the elected President of the Lafayette County Law Enforcement Administrator's Association. I have been in law enforcement in Lafayette County for twenty years where I served with the Village of Belmont, Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, and the City of Darlington. I have been a law enforcement supervisor for 14 years, nearly 8 of which have been as Chief of Police in Darlington.
What are the top issues facing this district/board and how would you work to resolve them?
The budget. As an experienced Chief Executive, I understand we face tough economic times. It is going to become more challenging to meet the needs of Lafayette County residents and fight/prevent crime because the cost of operating a law enforcement agency increases at a faster rate than that of tax revenue. That's where my experience as a conservative and fiscally responsible steward of taxpayer dollars will be of benefit to the people of Lafayette County. As Darlington's Police Chief I have balanced the police budget and even returned tens of thousands of dollars to the city's general fund through the years. I have learned to work with the union, not against it, and in doing so have mutually agreed upon changes that reduced overtime by nearly 90 percent since I took office. And I have acquired tens of thousands of dollars in grants to help acquire the equipment and training needed to provide the absolute best policing services while reducing the financial burden upon the local taxpayers. I would work to accomplish similar success stories while at the Sheriff's Office.
What are other key issues facing the district/board, and how would you work to resolve them?
There are a number of key public safety issues facing the next Sheriff: School safety, drug abuse, and Internet crimes to name a few. I firmly believe the people of Lafayette County are better served through prevention rather than reaction. That's why I propose partnering with local police departments and school officials to implement more prevention programs in Lafayette County Schools. Rather than wait to react to problems, I propose making members of the Sheriff's Department staff available to teach in classrooms all over the county to educate our youth thereby preventing the problems from happening in the first place. As the only certified School Resource Officer in Lafayette County, I have implemented this type of Police-School Liaison Program in Darlington with great success and I wish to expand upon it countywide.
I also propose the implementation of Citizen Advisory Groups made up of citizens of the county who meet with the Sheriff on occasion to provide insight as to what concerns face their particular area of the county. I believe this type of focused, in-depth interaction with the people we serve will aid Deputies in addressing, and even preventing, the issues that cause concern for our residents.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Lafayette County residents can vote for me knowing they are voting for the most qualified and experienced candidate. This is important because on Aug. 12 Lafayette County residents will elect the next chief executive of the Sheriff's Department. The person elected will supervise law enforcement officers, manage a budget, write grants, develop policy, direct the day-to-day operations of the department, carry out the constitutional duties of the office, and oversee the interactions between law enforcement officers and the people they serve. This is precisely what I do now as Darlington's Police Chief. No other candidate can say this. I have more years of service, more education, and more law enforcement executive experience. I believe my experience and education, coupled with my life-long passion for the people of Lafayette County makes me the best candidate for the office.
Age: 39
City/town of residence: City of Darlington
Family: I am a 6th generation Lafayette County resident who has been married for 13 years. My wife, Tammy, and I have three children: Madyson (age 9), Landon (age 7), and Lillian (age 5), and one dog, Boomer.
Education: Associate's Degree in Police Science; Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice Administration; Licensed EMT; Certified School Resource Officer; Certified D.A.R.E. Instructor; Graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Extension's Community Leadership Alliance; Graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School's Problem Oriented Leadership Institute for Chief Executives; Completed hundreds of hours in law enforcement training throughout my career.
Occupation: Chief of Police in Darlington.
Previous elected positions held or experience: I have served on many boards in the community and am currently the elected President of the Lafayette County Law Enforcement Administrator's Association. I have been in law enforcement in Lafayette County for twenty years where I served with the Village of Belmont, Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, and the City of Darlington. I have been a law enforcement supervisor for 14 years, nearly 8 of which have been as Chief of Police in Darlington.
What are the top issues facing this district/board and how would you work to resolve them?
The budget. As an experienced Chief Executive, I understand we face tough economic times. It is going to become more challenging to meet the needs of Lafayette County residents and fight/prevent crime because the cost of operating a law enforcement agency increases at a faster rate than that of tax revenue. That's where my experience as a conservative and fiscally responsible steward of taxpayer dollars will be of benefit to the people of Lafayette County. As Darlington's Police Chief I have balanced the police budget and even returned tens of thousands of dollars to the city's general fund through the years. I have learned to work with the union, not against it, and in doing so have mutually agreed upon changes that reduced overtime by nearly 90 percent since I took office. And I have acquired tens of thousands of dollars in grants to help acquire the equipment and training needed to provide the absolute best policing services while reducing the financial burden upon the local taxpayers. I would work to accomplish similar success stories while at the Sheriff's Office.
What are other key issues facing the district/board, and how would you work to resolve them?
There are a number of key public safety issues facing the next Sheriff: School safety, drug abuse, and Internet crimes to name a few. I firmly believe the people of Lafayette County are better served through prevention rather than reaction. That's why I propose partnering with local police departments and school officials to implement more prevention programs in Lafayette County Schools. Rather than wait to react to problems, I propose making members of the Sheriff's Department staff available to teach in classrooms all over the county to educate our youth thereby preventing the problems from happening in the first place. As the only certified School Resource Officer in Lafayette County, I have implemented this type of Police-School Liaison Program in Darlington with great success and I wish to expand upon it countywide.
I also propose the implementation of Citizen Advisory Groups made up of citizens of the county who meet with the Sheriff on occasion to provide insight as to what concerns face their particular area of the county. I believe this type of focused, in-depth interaction with the people we serve will aid Deputies in addressing, and even preventing, the issues that cause concern for our residents.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Lafayette County residents can vote for me knowing they are voting for the most qualified and experienced candidate. This is important because on Aug. 12 Lafayette County residents will elect the next chief executive of the Sheriff's Department. The person elected will supervise law enforcement officers, manage a budget, write grants, develop policy, direct the day-to-day operations of the department, carry out the constitutional duties of the office, and oversee the interactions between law enforcement officers and the people they serve. This is precisely what I do now as Darlington's Police Chief. No other candidate can say this. I have more years of service, more education, and more law enforcement executive experience. I believe my experience and education, coupled with my life-long passion for the people of Lafayette County makes me the best candidate for the office.