Candidates Darin Rice, Jason Rippl share why they should be next Winnebago Co. Sheriff

Sheriff John Matz, a Republican, announced he wouldn’t seek a fifth term in March.

Both have worked in the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department for over 20 years

(Candidates are ordered alphabetically)

Darin Rice

• Republican
• Current title: Captain of Field Services
• Experience: Began with Winnebago County in 2004

Jason Rippl

• Democrat
• Current title: Patrol Officer
• Experience: Began with Winnebago County in 1998

Would there be any noticeable changes from Matz’s 16 years as sheriff?

Rice: I don’t know if there would be immediate noticeable differences. By the end of this year, we will have lost the top six positions in the Sheriff’s office over the last 12 months. So we would be essentially starting with a brand new command staff, and I don’t believe in making rash, quick changes. I’m much more measured and would prefer to take my time to evaluate what programs are working, what programs may need to be adjusted, and what programs we should look at eliminating in the best interest of the community.

Rippl: They would definitely know who the sheriff is. My plan would be to engage directly with the community through regular town halls, engaging with them where they are, going to community events, going to town hall meetings, being out on patrol in the community so as to engage directly with them where they are.

What is the most pressing issue facing Winnebago County?

Rice: I think one of our biggest issues is drug use and dependency, substance abuse issues throughout the community. And that is something that we have taken on in unique ways over the last few years.

We’ve worked with the Overdose Fatality Review and a nonprofit organization to provide medical treatment to inmates who have substance abuse disorders and coupled that with wraparound services when they’re released from jail to help them avoid falling back into the same pattern of life that got them into trouble in the first place.

I fully support continuation of those services. I think we need to continue working with our drug enforcement unit, the multi-jurisdictional MEG unit to find and hold accountable those that are bringing drugs into our community.

It is destroying families. It’s destroying neighborhoods. It’s destroying entire communities. And we need to make sure we are continuing to hold people accountable for bringing the problem to our area.

Rippl: One of the biggest issues facing the county right now revolves around ALPR cameras. We’re on a precipice in law enforcement right now. There’s a lot of new technology that we’re going to be exposed to that new technology is something that needs community input. I think that if we would have gained community input early on we may have avoided some of the issues we’re seeing with ALPR cameras now.

Do you support using Flock or other ALPR cameras?

Rice: I see a lot of value in the ALPR technology. I’m certainly well aware of the concerns that people have with the cameras flock specifically. Based on what we are seeing locally and nationally, I would actually support maybe taking a pause with the technology. I don’t know if there’s enough community support for continuation.

I do believe it’s incredibly beneficial. I think it’s probably the best investigative tool that has been developed during my career, but I don’t believe that the technology is worth the upheaval that it’s causing right now. I know there is legislation being proposed. Other states have enacted laws to prohibit it on certain roadways. I believe we might be best served to wait and see how that plays out. I also think it might be a good time to explore other vendors.

Rippl: ALPR camera technology may not necessarily be at the core of the current issue surrounding them. The cameras themselves aren’t necessarily to blame, information – the way the information is managed and handled is I think a larger issue than the actual physical camera. I support ALPR technology, but not necessarily the way the information is currently used. So I think that the the cameras themselves are technology that’s not necessarily new – the Illinois toll road lots of places use ALPR technology. It’s what happens to the data after the cameras collected it and how is that data managed? How is that data stored and how is that data accessed by not only the police but any other entity?

Should Winnebago County cooperate with ICE for inmates booked on a criminal charge?

Winnebago County, like most Northeast Wisconsin counties, notifies ICE when an illegal immigrant is booked into the county jail on criminal charges, called the 287(g) agreement.

Rice: I would support maintaining the same 287(g) agreement. If anybody is in our jail as an undocumented immigrant, I believe that cooperation with ICE is an acceptable measure. I don’t support any type of street level enforcement. I don’t support turning our jail into a holding facility for immigration. But I do believe if somebody commits a crime in our community that notification of them is applicable. And honestly, the statistical data, it’s a very low percentage of people booked into our jail who are in the country illegally and who the notifications to ICE were made on.

Rippl: I don’t feel that continuation of a 287(g) agreement is appropriate at this time. I think that until the immigration and customs enforcement entity figures itself out, our continued involvement with that 287(g) program is not something that I would want to participate in. That said, if someone is taken into custody and has an active immigration and customs warrant, I would handle that the same way we’re handling it now.

Do you support additional diversion programs in the jail as population has increased?

Rice: I believe we have a good variety of diversion programs right now. There’s a lot of services available within our correctional facility. I’m certainly open to conversations with nonprofit organizations or other entities that can help put people back on the right path. I think there’s definitely an opportunity for growth while people are incarcerated, and hopefully it provides them a legitimate path once they’re released from custody.

Rippl: They need To be looked at and evaluated on a continuing basis so that changes can be made to the programs to determine their effectiveness, and if changes have to happen then changes should be made along the way. I don’t think that just starting a program and letting it run on autopilot is necessarily the best strategy.

4 years from now, what do you hope residents would say about a successful term for you?

Rice: I think you really have to look at how the community is operating as a whole. Are we addressing the major concerns that are being brought by the residents? Are we fixing problems that exist today? Can we get rid of them tomorrow? Do we have strong economic growth?

Are businesses comfortable enough to continue operations or bring their business to Winnebago County, because they feel that the law enforcement and public safety services are of a high enough quality that they want to make this their base of operation? Community growth, seeing more people move into the area, people coming here to visit, because they feel, again, that it’s a safe area. They trust the local law enforcement, and they believe that this is a place they want for them and their families.

Rippl: That they met the sheriff They know who the sheriff is and they feel that the sheriff is helping them with their everyday needs.