Brown County is situated at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan. Its population of 253,032 includes the 104,868 people who live in the county seat of Green Bay, the state’s third largest city. Green Bay takes up 45.47 square miles of Brown County’s total area of 253 square miles. The county holds 18 other cities and townships.
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Although Brown County is primarily urban, the crime rate is considerably lower than either the national or the Wisconsin average. Property crime is 16 percent lower and personal crime is 21 percent lower than the Wisconsin averages and 30 percent and 58 percent lower respectively than the national average.
The deputy sheriffs who strive to lower these rates even more work for the Brown County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation division which is responsible for investigating serious criminal activities and criminal complaints.
Becoming a Detective with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office
Satisfying the Qualifications– Persons interested in applying for a job as a Brown County sheriff’s deputy must hold an associate’s degree in police science OR a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any major.
Candidates must also meet the following basic requirements
- At least 21 years old
- U.S. citizen (no residency requirement)
- Wisconsin peace officer certification
Those whose applications are accepted must successfully complete all of the following:
- Written examination
- Oral interviews
- Background investigation
- Physical agility test
- Medical examination
- Drug test
- Psychological examination
Training – Qualified individuals who have not yet been certified as a Wisconsin peace officer must first complete the 13-week training required by the Wisconsin Department of Training and Standards Bureau. Certification training is given at the recruit academy offered by Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay.
Brown County requires all new deputy recruits to also complete 14 weeks of field officer training which includes such elements as:
- Department rules, regulations and operations
- Proper use of department firearms
- Defense maneuvers
- Arrest tactics
- Interview/interrogation techniques
- Interpersonal communications
- Vehicle chases
All sworn officers with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office complete 24 hours of in-service continuing education every year.
How to Apply – Brown County has an annual deputy sheriff recruitment period and applications are only accepted at that time, usually in April. Recruitment periods are published in newspapers and announced on local radio and TV news programs. Information and application forms can also be obtained from the Brown County Department of Human Resources, 305 #. Walnut Street, Green Bay, WI 543-1; phone: 920-448-4065.
Additional information about the hiring process is available online at the sheriff’s office employment website.
Organization of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office is led by Sheriff John R. Gossage who can be reached at 920-448-4219. The office consists of five divisions:
- Patrol
- Professional standards
- Investigations
- Support Services
- Jail
Criminal Investigations Division – The division is headed by Captain David Konrath and employs 18 sheriff deputies. In 2008, the division investigated 579 cases with a 72 percent solve rate.
Duties of the investigators include:
- Investigate criminal complaints
- Respond to crime scenes
- Collect and preserve crime scene evidence
- Interview witnesses/possible witnesses
- Interview victims
- Follow up on all leads
- Attend autopsies
- Arrest and interrogate suspects
- Complete reports
- Analyze evidence
- Testify in court\
- Work with other law enforcement agencies