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Kenosha County committee backs changes to sheriff's civil service rules, lowers noncertified education requirement and hiring age
Summary
The county committee approved proposed changes to the municipal code that will let noncertified deputy candidates qualify with 40 college credits and will lower the minimum hire age to 19, with application eligible at 18.
The county committee approved proposed amendments to Kenosha County's civil-service municipal code affecting the sheriff's office, including a reduction in the college-credit requirement for noncertified applicants and a lower minimum hiring age for deputy applicants.
Ashley Letterman, assistant director of human resources, presented three categories of changes: replacing some uses of the word "department" with "office" to reflect the sheriff's internal rebranding, updating references to rules and policies, and adjusting eligibility criteria. Letterman said the proposal would reduce the credit requirement for noncertified applicants from 60 to 40 credits, because noncertified recruits earn about 20 credits by completing the state law-enforcement academy. She said certified or certification-eligible candidates would still be required to have 60 credits at time of hire.
Letterman also said the proposal would change the minimum age at application and hire: applicants could apply at 18 and be hired at 19 under the new language. The change was framed as an effort to retain county cadets and other younger recruits who may have college credits from dual-enrollment or who would reach the 40-credit threshold after academy completion. Letterman acknowledged the county could hire some candidates older than the minimum; she emphasized multiple screening steps including written exams, interview panels and psychological testing.
Supervisors debated the merits and risks of lowering the age. One supervisor said the county should be competitive with neighboring municipal employers that hire at 18; another expressed concern about placing policing responsibilities on people as young as 19. An amendment offered on the floor to lower both application and hire age to 18 failed for lack of a second.
Supervisor Gearston moved the ordinance and it was seconded by Supervisor Gantz. The transcript includes a roll-call portion in which some supervisors registered votes as follows: Supervisor Gents (Aye), Supervisor Nudo (No), Supervisor Gierstin/Gertson (Aye), Supervisor Grama (No), and Supervisor Kirby (No). The committee chair then directed that the approved ordinance be circulated for signature and routed to the judiciary for further processing.
Ending: Committee members asked for clarification of procedural details and staff said the ordinance will be routed to the appropriate next step after committee approval.
