DARLINGTON - The race for Lafayette County sheriff is pitting incumbent Scott Pedley against two law enforcement newcomers, one of whom has accused the sheriff of acts of intimidation.
Pedley, a Republican, has been sheriff for 20 years and in law enforcement for more than 30. During his terms in office, he said, he has helped the department receive grants for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, the 911 telephone system, cellular phone location tracking, video conferencing at the Lafayette County Courthouse, and highway safety.
Pedley is the past president of the Badger State Sheriff's Association and is chairman of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board, which sets the minimal hiring and specialized training standards for the approximately 16,600 law enforcement officers in the state.
Pedley's two opponents, independent John Bredeson, Shullsburg, and Democratic candidate Jim Kilkelly, Woodford, don't have previous law enforcement experience. Bredeson served on the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors from 1994-1996.
Kilkelly declined to be interviewed by The Monroe Times.
Bredeson, who owns a trucking business, said there aren't any laws that require a sheriff to be certified in or have prior experience in law enforcement.
"The job is more administrative," he said. "You could probably count on one hand the number of citations our sheriff has written over the past 20 years."
Bredeson said that if he's elected, he would take an eight-week deputy training course at his own expense.
"I'll educate myself if I'm elected," he said. "I have five years to get all of the credits I'd need."
To be certified in law enforcement, the state of Wisconsin requires 60 credit hours from a technical school, college or university, and completion of 13 weeks at a police academy.
But Pedley contends it would be "disastrous" for the county to elect someone who doesn't have law enforcement experience.
"I'm called out at night and during the day to answer questions and deal with all kinds of situations," Pedley said. "Let's say there's a homicide. A sheriff needs to know what he's doing. Without law enforcement experience, he's at a big disadvantage."
Pedley said training and experience helps a sheriff with fiscal management issues and advising deputies.
"To take an eight-week course and think you have enough training is like taking basic training in the Army and thinking you should be a general," Pedley said.
Law enforcement certification also protects the sheriff in the event of a lawsuit. According to Wisconsin statutes, if a sheriff isn't certified, the county doesn't have to represent the sheriff in the event of a lawsuit.
Pedley said a sheriff can be sued for just about anything, and it doesn't matter if it's something he did or a mistake made by one of his deputies. The law was put into place about 20 years ago to deter people without law enforcement certification from running for sheriff or being put in charge of a police department, he said.
Bredeson said he doesn't worry about the possibility of being sued because "the sheriff doesn't write citations." However, Bredeson also said he's running for sheriff because he thinks the sheriff should take more of an active role in patrolling roads and writing citations.
Bredeson said he's been intimidated by Pedley since he announced his candidacy.
"Everybody is tired of the intimidation," he said.
Bredeson said he was arrested for two counts of disorderly conduct in July 2009 because Pedley wanted to intimidate him. Pedley said the accusations are not true and referred questions about the case to Lafayette County District Attorney Charlotte Doherty.
Doherty said court records indicated Bredeson yelled obscenities at village employees after he received a notice to mow the lawn at his business in Benton. In one of the instances, he went to the village hall to yell at people in the village clerk's office. Doherty said witnesses described Bredeson as being out of control.
Bredeson's attorney reached an agreement with Doherty that the charges would be dropped if he sold the car wash, which he did. The charges were dismissed in August 2009.
Bredeson isn't the only sheriff's candidate who has had trouble with the law. Kilkelly was convicted of disorderly conduct in January 2009 stemming from an incident that took place in November 2008. Also in November 2008, a restraining order was issued against Kilkelly by Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge William Johnston.
Bredeson said there are other instances of intimidation by the sheriff's department. He accused Pedley or sheriff's department deputies of taking Bredeson's sign out of yards to keep people from supporting him.
Pedley said that claim is also untrue.
"I've had people tell me they've taken the signs down on their own after (Bredeson) has asked for permission to put them up, but if people want to do that, that's up to them," Pedley said.
"He's dealing with innuendo and rumors," Pedley said.
Bredeson also accused the county of distorting his service while he was a member of the board: Bredeson said that while on the board he was a member of the county law enforcement committee, but Lafayette County Clerk Linda Bawden told The Times Bredeson was never a member of the law enforcement committee.
"They're shredding records and circling the wagons," Bredeson said of the county board.
Bredeson said he decided to run for sheriff because he doesn't think the department is being managed effectively.
He said the sheriff's department has 23 squad cars and deputies take the cars home at night.
"I don't know why a deputy has to take a car home at night," he said.
Pedley said the department has 16 cars, a number confirmed by Bawden, and the deputies take them home at night because they could be called out in the event of an emergency.
"If you have a domestic dispute in one area of the county, we send two deputies to respond. If there's an emergency someplace else we want to be able to respond quickly," Pedley said.
Other than the Darlington Police Department, the sheriff's department is the only law enforcement agency in Lafayette County that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Pedley said. Pedley also disagrees with Bredeson's comments that the sheriff's department spends too much money.
"Last year we gave $114,000 back to the county's general fund," Pedley said. The department was able to do so because it tries to save money wherever it can, he added.
Pedley said he's the best qualified person for the job.
"When we're dealing with serious issues, I believe I'm the best qualified person to deal with those issues as well as the families and the victims involved," he said.
Pedley, a Republican, has been sheriff for 20 years and in law enforcement for more than 30. During his terms in office, he said, he has helped the department receive grants for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, the 911 telephone system, cellular phone location tracking, video conferencing at the Lafayette County Courthouse, and highway safety.
Pedley is the past president of the Badger State Sheriff's Association and is chairman of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board, which sets the minimal hiring and specialized training standards for the approximately 16,600 law enforcement officers in the state.
Pedley's two opponents, independent John Bredeson, Shullsburg, and Democratic candidate Jim Kilkelly, Woodford, don't have previous law enforcement experience. Bredeson served on the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors from 1994-1996.
Kilkelly declined to be interviewed by The Monroe Times.
Bredeson, who owns a trucking business, said there aren't any laws that require a sheriff to be certified in or have prior experience in law enforcement.
"The job is more administrative," he said. "You could probably count on one hand the number of citations our sheriff has written over the past 20 years."
Bredeson said that if he's elected, he would take an eight-week deputy training course at his own expense.
"I'll educate myself if I'm elected," he said. "I have five years to get all of the credits I'd need."
To be certified in law enforcement, the state of Wisconsin requires 60 credit hours from a technical school, college or university, and completion of 13 weeks at a police academy.
But Pedley contends it would be "disastrous" for the county to elect someone who doesn't have law enforcement experience.
"I'm called out at night and during the day to answer questions and deal with all kinds of situations," Pedley said. "Let's say there's a homicide. A sheriff needs to know what he's doing. Without law enforcement experience, he's at a big disadvantage."
Pedley said training and experience helps a sheriff with fiscal management issues and advising deputies.
"To take an eight-week course and think you have enough training is like taking basic training in the Army and thinking you should be a general," Pedley said.
Law enforcement certification also protects the sheriff in the event of a lawsuit. According to Wisconsin statutes, if a sheriff isn't certified, the county doesn't have to represent the sheriff in the event of a lawsuit.
Pedley said a sheriff can be sued for just about anything, and it doesn't matter if it's something he did or a mistake made by one of his deputies. The law was put into place about 20 years ago to deter people without law enforcement certification from running for sheriff or being put in charge of a police department, he said.
Bredeson said he doesn't worry about the possibility of being sued because "the sheriff doesn't write citations." However, Bredeson also said he's running for sheriff because he thinks the sheriff should take more of an active role in patrolling roads and writing citations.
Bredeson said he's been intimidated by Pedley since he announced his candidacy.
"Everybody is tired of the intimidation," he said.
Bredeson said he was arrested for two counts of disorderly conduct in July 2009 because Pedley wanted to intimidate him. Pedley said the accusations are not true and referred questions about the case to Lafayette County District Attorney Charlotte Doherty.
Doherty said court records indicated Bredeson yelled obscenities at village employees after he received a notice to mow the lawn at his business in Benton. In one of the instances, he went to the village hall to yell at people in the village clerk's office. Doherty said witnesses described Bredeson as being out of control.
Bredeson's attorney reached an agreement with Doherty that the charges would be dropped if he sold the car wash, which he did. The charges were dismissed in August 2009.
Bredeson isn't the only sheriff's candidate who has had trouble with the law. Kilkelly was convicted of disorderly conduct in January 2009 stemming from an incident that took place in November 2008. Also in November 2008, a restraining order was issued against Kilkelly by Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge William Johnston.
Bredeson said there are other instances of intimidation by the sheriff's department. He accused Pedley or sheriff's department deputies of taking Bredeson's sign out of yards to keep people from supporting him.
Pedley said that claim is also untrue.
"I've had people tell me they've taken the signs down on their own after (Bredeson) has asked for permission to put them up, but if people want to do that, that's up to them," Pedley said.
"He's dealing with innuendo and rumors," Pedley said.
Bredeson also accused the county of distorting his service while he was a member of the board: Bredeson said that while on the board he was a member of the county law enforcement committee, but Lafayette County Clerk Linda Bawden told The Times Bredeson was never a member of the law enforcement committee.
"They're shredding records and circling the wagons," Bredeson said of the county board.
Bredeson said he decided to run for sheriff because he doesn't think the department is being managed effectively.
He said the sheriff's department has 23 squad cars and deputies take the cars home at night.
"I don't know why a deputy has to take a car home at night," he said.
Pedley said the department has 16 cars, a number confirmed by Bawden, and the deputies take them home at night because they could be called out in the event of an emergency.
"If you have a domestic dispute in one area of the county, we send two deputies to respond. If there's an emergency someplace else we want to be able to respond quickly," Pedley said.
Other than the Darlington Police Department, the sheriff's department is the only law enforcement agency in Lafayette County that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Pedley said. Pedley also disagrees with Bredeson's comments that the sheriff's department spends too much money.
"Last year we gave $114,000 back to the county's general fund," Pedley said. The department was able to do so because it tries to save money wherever it can, he added.
Pedley said he's the best qualified person for the job.
"When we're dealing with serious issues, I believe I'm the best qualified person to deal with those issues as well as the families and the victims involved," he said.