Some written comments from Sheriff Randy Wright about the ongoing evidence storage issue have prompted a sharp response by members of the Shawano County Finance Committee.
Wright is considering three courses of action to resolve the issue: hiring an attorney on sheriffs’ rights on the county’s dime, taking the evidence storage building to the voters in a referendum, and involving the U.S. Department of Commerce to explain evidence storage regulations to the County Board.
The comments were originally sent to the Public Safety Committee following its meeting July 10. However, at least two members of the Finance Committee, Jerry Erdmann and Marlin Noffke, also received copies of his comments.
Noffke said there seems to be a disconnect between Wright and his top administrators, who sat down with several county supervisors at the end of May and worked out a deal to use the vacant basement space formerly used by the Health Department for offices for detectives and the evidence technician, as well as the storage of 40 computers seized as evidence in criminal cases.
“The sheriff just doesn’t get it,” Noffke said, adding that he feels the evidence is just as secure in the courthouse as it would be in the jail building.
Noffke’s opinion might not be enough for Wright, who stated that the supervisors do not have the expertise he and his staff have in collecting and storing evidence properly.
“I feel that none of you are experts in what is needed to be kept,” Wright said. “No County Board supervisor should be telling the community ‘We don’t need to keep all that evidence.’”
Wright said while some members of the County Board see the basement as a solution to the evidence storage issue that has been debated for more than a decade, it barely scratches the surface.
Supervisor Sandy Steinke questioned whether anyone on the County Board believes the basement was the final solution.
“We knew the basement was not the end-all for the evidence storage situation,” Steinke said.
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