DARLINGTON - Over the past quarter century, Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley has strived to bring the same level of empathy and kindness that previous sheriffs have brought to the office and foster a trust between the community and law enforcement.
"I hope my time here has established a culture here that we are truly servants to the people," he said.
"It can't be like this," Pedley said, pounding his fists together to represent the community and law enforcement.
"It has to be like this," he said, knitting his fingers together.
"We have so many societal problems because law enforcement and people are like this," he said, spreading his hands to his full wingspan.
Pedley, 54, will be retiring from 25 years as sheriff to work part-time at Benton State Bank doing internal monitoring. Between the bank, his farm in New Diggings Township and his involvement with the Freemasons, Pedley doesn't anticipate much free time.
"I also plan on helping out here at the office, unpaid, of course," Pedley said.
Pedley was appointed sheriff by then-Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson after former sheriff Vernus Olson stepped down in 1989. Pedley said Olson had immense patience, kindness and humility, and he thinks that virtue has been passed on to his office.
"Much of what I learned from Olson I tried to emulate ... and I don't think we have lost sight of that," Pedley said.
Pedley is proud of the progress his office has made on its tight budget, despite how it sometimes stings his fiscally conservative heart.
"When I started we had six on patrol, one detective, and eight jail and dispatchers; now we have 10 on patrol, three detectives and 11 jail and dispatchers," Pedley said. "I'm absolutely a fiscal conservative and to grow the budget hurts a little, but it enhances the safety of our officers and community, which is my job, and I'm proud of our progress."
Pedley's position will be filled by the recently-elected Reg Gill, who will take over Jan. 5, Pedley's official last day.
Pedley began his law enforcement career when he was 18 at the Green County Sheriff's Department. By age 22, he was an undersheriff at the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, an administrative job with a lot of responsibility and a need for respect.
"I've always known you can't expect respect, you have to earn it," he said. "There were some guys there that had been on the force longer than I'd been alive."
He said that personnel organization is no easy job, and he has a real "passion" for his work. But Pedley now wants to move on. He said he looks forward to traveling, spending time with his wife Rhonda - "the love of his life" - and working with the Freemason's Lodge.
"Where else is there a place where guys can get together and there's no alcohol, no smoking, no discussing politics and it keeps my wife happy?" he said.
Pedley has three grown children, Emily, Sarah and David and three grandchildren between the ages of 9 months and 6 years old. Pedley said he wants to keep a closer eye on his cattle at their 600-acre farm where they raise beef cattle and farm corn, soybeans and alfalfa.
Some of the high-profile violent cases his office has handled over the past few years have also factored in to him leaving the office. In September 2012, Armin Wand III and Jeremy Wand set fire to a rented home, killing Armin Wand's three young children and the unborn child his wife was carrying. Then in April 2013, Jaren Kuester stabbed and beat three people to death with a fire poker after breaking into Gary and Chloe Thoreson's rural Wiota home.
When asked what has been the most troubling case Pedley has had to work on in his 35 years of law enforcement, he answered quietly, "The Thoresons."
"They were fine people taken by an act of complete evil," he said, cracking with emotion. "They were killed by a madman in an act of pure evil ... it's tough to swallow."
Searching for levity after discussing such a violent act by a man with serious mental illness, Pedley said there are aspects of the job that can be light-hearted.
"When I was on patrol, I got called to a hamster bite," he said. "I went through all the paperwork, being very thorough, and took the person in to see if they got rabies. Well, the doctor takes me aside and he said, "Hamsters don't carry rabies.'"
Still emotional, Pedley smiled and said, "It's the greatest career there is - you can go from hamster-bite to homicide."
Even though the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department is one of the least-funded departments in the southern part of the state, it has had very little turnover because it hires caring, ambitious deputies, Pedley said.
"We don't tolerate badge-happy people with something to prove or some kind of Gestapo," he said. "It's about constant public engagement and building trust with the community."
"I hope my time here has established a culture here that we are truly servants to the people," he said.
"It can't be like this," Pedley said, pounding his fists together to represent the community and law enforcement.
"It has to be like this," he said, knitting his fingers together.
"We have so many societal problems because law enforcement and people are like this," he said, spreading his hands to his full wingspan.
Pedley, 54, will be retiring from 25 years as sheriff to work part-time at Benton State Bank doing internal monitoring. Between the bank, his farm in New Diggings Township and his involvement with the Freemasons, Pedley doesn't anticipate much free time.
"I also plan on helping out here at the office, unpaid, of course," Pedley said.
Pedley was appointed sheriff by then-Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson after former sheriff Vernus Olson stepped down in 1989. Pedley said Olson had immense patience, kindness and humility, and he thinks that virtue has been passed on to his office.
"Much of what I learned from Olson I tried to emulate ... and I don't think we have lost sight of that," Pedley said.
Pedley is proud of the progress his office has made on its tight budget, despite how it sometimes stings his fiscally conservative heart.
"When I started we had six on patrol, one detective, and eight jail and dispatchers; now we have 10 on patrol, three detectives and 11 jail and dispatchers," Pedley said. "I'm absolutely a fiscal conservative and to grow the budget hurts a little, but it enhances the safety of our officers and community, which is my job, and I'm proud of our progress."
Pedley's position will be filled by the recently-elected Reg Gill, who will take over Jan. 5, Pedley's official last day.
Pedley began his law enforcement career when he was 18 at the Green County Sheriff's Department. By age 22, he was an undersheriff at the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, an administrative job with a lot of responsibility and a need for respect.
"I've always known you can't expect respect, you have to earn it," he said. "There were some guys there that had been on the force longer than I'd been alive."
He said that personnel organization is no easy job, and he has a real "passion" for his work. But Pedley now wants to move on. He said he looks forward to traveling, spending time with his wife Rhonda - "the love of his life" - and working with the Freemason's Lodge.
"Where else is there a place where guys can get together and there's no alcohol, no smoking, no discussing politics and it keeps my wife happy?" he said.
Pedley has three grown children, Emily, Sarah and David and three grandchildren between the ages of 9 months and 6 years old. Pedley said he wants to keep a closer eye on his cattle at their 600-acre farm where they raise beef cattle and farm corn, soybeans and alfalfa.
Some of the high-profile violent cases his office has handled over the past few years have also factored in to him leaving the office. In September 2012, Armin Wand III and Jeremy Wand set fire to a rented home, killing Armin Wand's three young children and the unborn child his wife was carrying. Then in April 2013, Jaren Kuester stabbed and beat three people to death with a fire poker after breaking into Gary and Chloe Thoreson's rural Wiota home.
When asked what has been the most troubling case Pedley has had to work on in his 35 years of law enforcement, he answered quietly, "The Thoresons."
"They were fine people taken by an act of complete evil," he said, cracking with emotion. "They were killed by a madman in an act of pure evil ... it's tough to swallow."
Searching for levity after discussing such a violent act by a man with serious mental illness, Pedley said there are aspects of the job that can be light-hearted.
"When I was on patrol, I got called to a hamster bite," he said. "I went through all the paperwork, being very thorough, and took the person in to see if they got rabies. Well, the doctor takes me aside and he said, "Hamsters don't carry rabies.'"
Still emotional, Pedley smiled and said, "It's the greatest career there is - you can go from hamster-bite to homicide."
Even though the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department is one of the least-funded departments in the southern part of the state, it has had very little turnover because it hires caring, ambitious deputies, Pedley said.
"We don't tolerate badge-happy people with something to prove or some kind of Gestapo," he said. "It's about constant public engagement and building trust with the community."