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JLAC approves changes to Kenosha County civil service ordinance to reflect sheriff's 'office' wording and revise deputy eligibility
Summary
The committee approved amendments to Chapter 4 of the Kenosha County ordinances to change references from "department" to "office" for the sheriff and to revise eligibility criteria for deputy applicants, including lowering college-credit prerequisites for non‑certified applicants and changing minimum application age.
The Kenosha County Judiciary & Law Enforcement Committee on May 1 approved an amendment to the county's civil service ordinance (Chapter 4) to update the sheriff-related language and to change minimum eligibility requirements for deputy candidates.
Director of Human Resources Clara Tapa presented the ordinance draft and said the update will change references from “sheriff’s department” to “sheriff’s office” throughout the civil service language to match a recent administrative change the sheriff requested. Tapa said departments will transition outward-facing materials by attrition to reduce immediate budget impact; she estimated an initial cost of about $10,000 to update certain items now rather than waiting for inventory replacement.
Tapa also described proposed eligibility changes. For non‑certified (academy‑bound) applicants, the ordinance would lower the minimum college credit requirement from 60 to 40 credits, with the rationale that many academy attendees earn 20 credits through the academy and thus reach 60 by completion. Certified or certifiable candidates would remain required to have 60 credits. The draft also reduces the minimum application age from 20 to 18, with a hire‑date minimum of 19 years.
Committee members asked questions about rationale, budget impact and legal alignment. Supervisor Gray asked why the sheriff sought the name change; members noted the sheriff and chief were at a conference and were not present. Several supervisors questioned whether the name switch carried meaningful operational change beyond perception and requested clarity on rollout costs and priority updates such as squad cars, badges and specialized equipment.
On eligibility, committee members debated whether to align precisely with Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) standards. Chief examiner Andre (civil service) reported the sheriff's office currently has five deputy vacancies and described the current recruitment pipeline: a candidate starting May 19, three candidates in preemployment, three slated for the August academy and additional candidates from April testing. He said no 18‑ or 19‑year‑old candidates would be on the list until the ordinance change took effect.
A motion to approve the ordinance passed at the meeting. One member opposed the change in wording from "department" to "office," arguing that "department" better reflects an agency-wide structure, while supporters said "office" reflects the elected sheriff's constitutional authority. The ordinance as drafted also updates antiquated references (for example, replacing "work rules" with current policy references) and adjusts civil service language to reflect present practice.
The committee approved the minutes of the April 2 meeting earlier in the agenda before this item.
