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Public Safety Committee flags staffing gaps and technical problems in radio system transition
Summary
The committee reported long‑running recruitment trouble (a jail nurse vacancy of 13 months), recommended a lateral transfer policy to help hiring, praised early Axon body cam use, and raised concerns about delays and management turnover in the county's transition to the Wisconsin Public Safety Network radio system.
The Public Safety Committee reported personnel shortfalls and technical challenges affecting county public safety operations.
Supervisor Dallas summarized committee discussions in which the sheriff described unsuccessful attempts to fill a jail nurse position for 13 months and proposed a lateral transfer policy that would allow new hires to retain vacation accrual from previous law enforcement employers to improve recruitment. The sheriff also recommended revisiting courthouse security through a U.S. Marshal assessment.
Committee members noted favorable early feedback about Axon body cameras, which have completed their first month of deployment. At the same time, county IT and emergency management staff briefed the committee on difficulties transitioning to the Wisconsin Public Safety Network radio system, including programming software delays and three project manager changes in roughly 45 days. Staff said the county remains under a six‑year contract with Motorola and asked for further analysis on whether converting fully to an 800 MHz system is feasible.
The committee tabled discussion about shifting encryption authorization procedures and requested more information on radio‑system feasibility and governance.
