THE OFFICE OF SHERIFF IN WISCONSIN

The Office of Sheriff is a constitutional county office in Wisconsin. While the duties of Wisconsin sheriffs have evolved considerably over time, many of the fundamental responsibilities of the office are established by state law.

Wisconsin Statute § 59.27 provides that the sheriff of a county is responsible
for a number of core duties, including:
 

• Taking charge and custody of the county jail and the persons confined within
  it.

• Maintaining required records concerning persons committed to the jail.

• Attending the circuit court and providing deputies for court attendance as
  required.

• Serving and executing lawful processes, writs, orders, and other legal
  documents.

• Maintaining custody of the property, records, and official papers of the
  Sheriff's Office and transferring them to a successor in office.

• Performing other duties required of the sheriff by Wisconsin law.
   

Beyond these specifically enumerated responsibilities, Wisconsin sheriffs and
their deputies perform the broader law-enforcement functions associated with
preserving the peace, enforcing the law, protecting life and property, operating
county correctional facilities, serving the courts, and providing public-safety services throughout their counties.

Wisconsin sheriffs are elected county officers, making the Office of Sheriff directly accountable to the citizens it serves. The office combines a long historical tradition with the responsibilities of a modern law-enforcement agency.

For Dunn County, that tradition dates to 1855, when Willard Holbrook became the county's first sheriff. Since that time, generations of Dunn County sheriffs, deputies, corrections officers, dispatchers, and professional staff have carried forward the responsibilities of the office while adapting to the changing public-safety needs of the community.