Oconto County sheriff hopes to open northern substation

Skarban, DA Burke report 2021 was a busy year
By: 
Warren Bluhm
Editor-in-chief

Oconto County Sheriff Todd Skarban hopes to establish a northern substation to enhance law enforcement services in the northern half of the county.

He also aims to enhance crisis intervention efforts for mental health services to the county jail inmate population working collaboratively with the county Health and Human Services Department.

The initiatives are part of the annual report presented April 19 at the organizational meeting of the county board.

Skarban outlined the department’s various initiatives and developments during the past year — including the addition of a fifth canine officer, Riggs, who has been partnered with Sgt. Chad Angus since October. Angus also works with K-9 officer Barron, who began his tour of duty in May 2013.

The other canine handlers are deputies Kevin Christensen, who took over from Skarban working with Turbo after the sheriff took office; Cullan Morrissey, who is partnered with Emma; and James Plotkin, who is partnered with Raven.

All five dogs are dual-purpose tracking and narcotics detection police service dogs. The sheriff’s office raises funds for the canine unit through the annual Karl Zeitler Memorial Bird Hunt, an annual golf outing and donations from numerous community organizations and businesses.

The sheriff’s department handled 19,311 incidents during 2021, up more than 2,000 from a year earlier and an increase from 14,857 in 2018.

The total includes 1,733 traffic accidents, including 139 crashes in which people were injured and 11 fatalities. This is the first year that more than 10 people died on county highways since 2015, when 16 were killed.

The county board received reports from 23 departments in all. District Attorney Edward Burke reported that his office received 1,284 referrals during the course of 2021, resulting in 757 court cases with 110 jury trials scheduled.

Burke said the office’s victim witness coordinator increased victim services including notification when the DA’s office receives a referral and whether the case is prosecuted.

The office is still dealing with a backlog of jury trials as a result of the court’s decision to suspend all trials during the 2020 pandemic, Burke said. A lack of resources includes the state’s refusal to fund a request for a second assistant district attorney, he said.

The Oconto County District Attorney’s Office is considered staffed at 65.09% effectiveness for prosecutors with Burke and Assistant District Attorney Lisa Rowe, he said.