At the center of communications for the county are the dispatchers staffing the Sheriff's Office 911 Dispatch Center. These dedicated communication professionals get you the help you need when you need it.

The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center is the largest dispatch center in the county, staffed by one lieutenant, two sergeants and 24 communications officers.  Our dispatch center dispatches for the following:

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office participates in the Wisconsin Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce, a network of trained dispatchers from public safety agencies throughout southeastern Wisconsin. In a large scale incident such as a natural or man-made disaster, these volunteer dispatchers will respond to the incident to help provide communications and dispatch assistance to responding law enforcement, rescue, and fire personnel.

For more information on our communications division, please read our Annual Report located on the sheriff's office home page.

The Detective Bureau consists of a lieutenant, one sergeant, six detectives, and two investigators. Their primary mission is to investigate time-consuming, complex, or specialized crimes that are not practical for patrol deputies to investigate.

Investigators are able to respond 24/7 to crime scenes at the request of the Patrol Division and other law enforcement agencies throughout the county for such serious crimes as death investigations, structure fires, arson, fraud, financial crimes, identity theft, computer crime, and sensitive crimes such as sexual assault and child abuse. Investigators attend specialized training in these and other areas to stay current in investigative techniques and evidence collection.

Upon request, investigators are also tasked with assisting other municipal police agencies with complex or internal investigations.

The Detective Bureau is in charge of all evidence related matters. Investigators are responsible for overseeing the proper collection, seizure, documentation, and maintenance of evidence collected by deputies and investigators.

The sheriff's office has special facilities and equipment in which evidence is examined and stored to prevent contamination and to preserve the chain of custody of evidence from its collection in the field to its presentation in court proceedings.

One investigator has been trained in computer forensics, the deciphering and collection of data and evidence from computer hard drives, and other electronic devices. Several investigators are also trained in the use of CVSA (Computer Voice Stress Analysis), a system that uses the naturally occurring stress in a person's voice to determine if the person is being truthful or not.

Investigators also perform an educational role for the community by providing presentations on a diverse range of topics, such as drugs, school safety, and identity theft. 

The Patrol Division is responsible for the day to day law enforcement functions of the sheriff’s office. A staff of 56 sworn deputy sheriffs are supervised by an operations captain, 3 patrol lieutenants, and 6 patrol sergeants. In addition, 24 part-time special deputies provide contract security for area events and assist in the transport of prisoners.

Deputy sheriffs engage in a wide range of activities from performing routine patrols and responding to emergency and non-emergency calls, to investigating crimes and enforcing our traffic laws. When required, they are assisted by the Detective Bureau, Drug Unit, and other specialized teams.

Deputy sheriffs have jurisdiction within all 436 square miles of Washington County, including all municipalities. Their primary responsibilities are to protect life and property, enforce federal, state, and local laws, and to provide other law enforcement services to the county’s citizens. The sheriff’s office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county’s 12 townships, its 8 unincorporated communities as well as the Villages of Richfield and Newburg.

The sheriff's office is committed to answering requests for services countywide. Town, village, and city residents alike benefit from the activity and services provided by the sheriff’s office on a daily basis.

For more information about the entire Operations Division of the sheriff’s office, please check our links to the Detective Bureau, Drug Unit, Communications and Special Units pages.  You will also find our Annual Report on the main sheriff's office web page.

The Crash Reconstruction Unit is comprised of a small group of highly trained deputies whose mission is to assist in the investigation of serious traffic accidents involving injury or death. These deputies have been trained in the use of photogrammetry software which can use digital photographs to produce 3D measurements in a computer. These measurements are then used to produce highly detailed scale diagrams from which calculations can be made to determine a vehicle’s speed, direction of movement, and other factors that may have contributed to an accident.

Crash Unit members frequently consult with the sheriff and the district attorney prior to decisions being made regarding criminal charges or citations being issued to drivers involved in serious accidents.

Unit members also assist the patrol division in calculating speed and other factors contributing to less serious accidents and assist in the preparation of crime scene diagrams.

In the Washington County Justice and Government Centers, maintaining a safe and efficient working environment for court staff, county employees, deputies, and visitors is the responsibility of the Court Services Division.  A sergeant, three deputies, and two special deputies are responsible for courtroom security, prisoner movement, security requests, and general building security, while two special deputies man the screening station at the secure entrance to the Justice Center. 

Each person and their belongings are checked and scanned. As a result, thousands of contraband items have been seized or prevented from entering the facility. Contraband items include pocket and utility knives, scissors, tools, and other items that could potentially be used as a weapon.

MOST WANTED

The Washington County Most Wanted Program continued with deputies assigned to the Justice Center researching and submitting subjects to be profiled by local media outlets.  For a current list of most wanted fugitives, please see our Most Wanted page.  

TRANSPORTS

The sheriff has a responsibility to transport individuals to and from court as a part of his constitutional duty. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office contracts with Redi-Transports to conduct the majority of prisoner transports. The sheriff’s office remains responsible for medical transports from the jail, and certain mental health transports.

The Washington County Dive Team is a multijurisdictional team comprised of sheriff’s deputies and members of the Kewaskum, Richfield, Slinger, and West Bend Fire Departments. Few people operate under as potentially dangerous an environment than do members of the dive team. Whether it is responding to a drowning victim or searching for evidence of a crime, team members suit up without hesitation to respond to the needs of the community on the county’s waterways.

The team was created in 2002 in order to provide a coordinated response to rescue and recovery efforts in the waters within the jurisdiction of Washington County, and under a mutual aid request from any jurisdiction outside Washington County. The Dive Team operates under the authority of the Sheriff of Washington County.

To date, the Washington County Dive Team has participated in operations on Cedar Lake, Pike Lake, Friess Lake and the Milwaukee River in Washington County as well as responded to calls for mutual aid on Lake Bernice and Long Lake in Fond du Lac County. To participate on the team, members must participate in ongoing training throughout the year and obtain certifications in deep water, search and rescue, night and ice diving operations. These requirements ensure team safety and operational readiness. Dive Team members also provide presentations to community groups and schools on the operations of the team.

n May of 2019, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office obtained a canine named Ryker.  Ryker is a 70-pound black and brown colored Belgian Malinois. He was born on December 1, 2017 in Ontario, Canada. Ryker is trained in narcotics detection, tracking, and area searches. Ryker is currently assigned to our Corrections Division and is handled by Corrections Officer Ludwig.

Ryker, with Officer Ludwig, bring a specialized skill set and are part of a multi-layered approach to preventing contraband from entering our corrections facility. 

In October of 2023, the Sheriff's Office added canine Razor to our patrol division.  Razor is also a 70-pound black and brown colored Belgian Malinois.  She was born on April 1, 2021 in Ontario, Canada.  Razor is trained in narcotics detection, tracking, and apprehension.  Razor is currently assigned to the patrol division and paired with handler Deputy Kalish.

Our canine teams are routinely spotted in the community and assist law enforcement agencies throughout the region in cases such as missing person searches, tracking fleeing subjects, and various types of narcotic searches.

Ryker and Razor were trained by "Working K9" in Ontario, Canada.  Head Trainer Tony Pallotta has spent over 25 years training law enforcement canines and is highly regarded in the field. 

In 2011 the Washington County Sheriff’s Office took delivery of a 41’ Type II Mobile Emergency Operation Center (EOC), built by Pierce Manufacturing of Appleton, Wisconsin. The unit was purchased exclusively with Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant monies that were secured through the county’s Office of Emergency Management. It was mainly built to assist emergency response leaders during their execution of major incidents and/or events. The Mobile EOC is made available to the various public safety agencies located throughout Washington County upon request.

The Mobile EOC is a technologically advanced piece of apparatus able to run large scale incidents from a remote location. The unit is powered by an on-board 30 kW diesel generator, capable of providing excess power for additional external needs. The unit’s interior includes a conference room, three-person dispatch center, and a work/interview area. After a request for the Mobile EOC is approved by the sheriff’s office, specifically trained deputies will transport the unit to the desired staging location and remain on-scene to facilitate its operation and capabilities.

Washington County continues to be a recreation destination for people looking to enjoy the outdoors. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is committed to doing our part to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable recreational experience while enjoying the trails and lakes of the county.

ATV PATROLS
The Eisenbahn Trail is one of those popular recreational destinations for residents and visitors to Washington County. Single deputy UTV patrols are conducted on the trail system as time permits.  The citizen feedback on these patrols continues to be positive and gives our deputies an opportunity to interact with trail users and answer questions from the public.

SNOWMOBILE PROGRAM
The sheriff’s office continues its snowmobile program under a grant from the State Department of Natural Resources. In order to be eligible for the grant, patrols must conduct a minimum of 40 hours of patrol. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office patrols the county snowmobile trails each winter to help ensure the safety of all riders enjoying snowmobiles in Washington County.  

BOAT PATROL
The sheriff's office provides marine enforcement within these lakes in Washington County:   Bark, Big Cedar, Druid, Friess, Green, Lake Five, Little Cedar, Little Friess, Pike, Silver, and Wallace.  The boat patrol is also operated under a grant from the State Department of Natural Resources.   

The Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) is a specialized team comprised of sheriff's deputies and Germantown and Hartford Police Department officers, all of whom operate under the command of the sheriff. The team was started in 1990 with the main goal of maintaining a high level of preparedness and tactical proficiency to successfully resolve any high risk situation with the utmost regard for the preservation of the lives of all persons involved. The sheriff’s office will utilize SWAT to respond to situations in which serious injury or death could be imminent, and where the use of a specially trained tactical team could neutralize the effects of any person(s) actually or potentially threatening the safety of the public. Some of these incidents include:

• Sniper situations
• Barricaded suspects
• Hostage situations
• Dignitary protection
• Civil disturbance
• Search & arrest warrants
• Armed suspect
• Narcotics raids
• Anti terrorism
• Any situation deemed necessary by the sheriff

SWAT may also be utilized as a support response to other police agencies requesting assistance in circumstances similar to the above or as deemed appropriate by the Sheriff.