Dodge sheriff strives to make department better

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has been very busy since the election with its new administration and transition plans. The first two months have been very productive with many improvements made by staff. We have a great group of men and women here at the sheriff’s office. With everyone working together as a team, we’ve really accomplished a great deal in just a few weeks.
On Jan. 13, Mike Leonhardt was once again sworn in as chief deputy. He had been fired by former Sheriff Jim Jensen for alleged “loyalty” issues on Jan.17, 2014. I have always argued that Leonhardt’s firing was unwarranted and the allegations of there being “loyalty” issues were unfounded. Leonhardt’s swearing in ceremony at the

courthouse was welcomed with a board room full of supporters and a standing ovation. Leonhardt joined Captain Ryer Anderson and myself to complete their upper management team.
The County Board has been very supportive of their needs. We are fortunate to have a very good working relationship with the commissioners. They have been extremely supportive recognizing the needs of our Office as well as the law enforcement needs of our community.
There have been several county board actions regarding the sheriff’s office since the election including equipment, staffing, and services. The board approved the ordering of three SUV’s and a pickup to replace aging patrol vehicles within the sheriff’s office fleet.
The board also approved filling several vacant positions within the office; one full-time position in our records department, three part-time positions in dispatch, and two part-time positions in patrol. Also approved was the promotion of two to Investigations, including the creation of one new Investigator position.
The sheriff’s office promoted two deputies internally to Investigations;

School Resource Officer (SRO) Bob Morris, and patrol peputy Ben Bohle. Morris has been with Dodge County since 2011, Bohle since 2009. Investigations is one department within our office where we’ve always needed more help, especially in the last few years.
The last four years, investigator Brumfield and I did everything we could to keep up with cases. Having three investigators will now allow that department to be more proactive, to better manage our current caseload, and to be ready for the expected future growth within the county. Both of these deputies have done a great job in their respective areas. We are very excited about adding these two to our investigations team.
The sheriff’s office also hired deputy Stephanie French to a full-time patrol deputy position this month. She will fill the night patrol shift left vacant
by deputy Bohle. Deputy French is the first full-time female deputy to be hired in 10 years, and only the second full-time female deputy to work for Dodge County. Deputy French has done a great job here over the years as a part-time deputy. She will be a great addition to our Office.

Another area with staffing changes is the SRO program. With the promotion of deputy Bob Morris to Investigations, this left the SRO position open. Deputy Dave Skadson, who had been serving as a dayshift patrol deputy and as the county DARE instructor, will move into the current SRO role at the end of February. Deputy Skadson isa former SRO for the county. With Deputy Skadson’s experience, training, and past work with both school administrations, we expect this will be a very smooth transition.
Training is another area that has been focused on at the sheriff’s office. I attended New Sheriff’s School with the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association in January. This was an intense week-long training session in Chaska. In attendance were representatives from 23 other counties within the state where new sheriffs were elected in November. Chief Deputy Leonhardt just completed new chief deputy school last week, also put on by the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association.
One major change in dispatch will include the implementation of Mayo’s Pre-Arrival Care dispatch program. The new administration has been looking at each department within the office

to identify areas that needed improvement. One area we felt we could improve on was how medical calls are handled in dispatch. Without having EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) training and certification, our dispatcher’s aren’t able to provide medical care instructions over the phone during critical incidents.
Finally, the sheriff’s office has been working on standardizing departmental policies and procedures utilizing a company called Lexipol. This company provides risk management policies and resources for organizations, delivering our services through a unique, web-based development system. Lexipol offers state-specific policy manuals that are integrated with scenario-based daily training on high-risk, low-frequency events.
We made a promise to this community to hit the ground running in January to work toward making the sheriff’s office the best it can be. With everyone working together, I think we’re off to a great start. 

Scott Rose was elected as sheriff of Dodge County last November, defeating incumbent Jim Jensen. Rose took office in January.