WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. — Two Republican candidates are competing to become the next Waukesha County sheriff, with Tuesday's August primary set to determine who will win the job.
John Gscheidmeier is a current Waukesha County Board member and owns a real estate company. Nick Ollinger is a current Waukesha County Sheriff captain with 14 years in law enforcement.
"I spent 29 years as a firefighter, police officer and teacher," Gscheidmeier said.
"I started my law enforcement career in 2012. I worked two years with the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office and then in 2014 I started my career in the Waukesha County Sheriff's Office," Ollinger said.
Several sheriffs from nearby counties have endorsed Ollinger, while Gscheidmeier has received the endorsement of the Waukesha Deputy Sheriff Labor Union.
Watch: Waukesha County sheriff candidates talk issues ahead of Tuesday primary election
Staffing
Staffing at the sheriff's office is a key issue for both candidates.
"The problem is we don't have the staffing; we have lost 35-percent of the staff in the last 3 years. We have to rebuild the staffing," Gscheidmeier said.
Ollinger said he would empower deputies to help with recruitment efforts.
"We continue to recruit. What I would empower is the deputies; the deputies would be a part of the selling team. When they feel a part of the team, and the sheriff's there when they feel a part of the stream, they are the recruiters. They will be the ones that go out and recruit their friends," Ollinger said.
Body cameras
Both candidates support body cameras. Ollinger said he helped select the vendor the department plans to use.
"We are very happy with the product that they have and we are very happy to roll that out in 2027," Ollinger said.
Gscheidmeier expressed concern about compatibility with other agencies in the county.
"We also have to make sure we are buying the right system. My fear right now is we are going to use a system that no one else in the county is," Gscheidmeier said.
Flock cameras
Both candidates also weighed in on Flock cameras, which use automated license plate recognition technology.
"I'm in favor of Flock cameras; it is an investigative tool," Ollinger said.
Gscheidmeier said he sees value in the technology but wants to balance it against residents' privacy rights.
"There are awesome success stories about that, but you have to balance the citizens request and right for privacy," Gscheidmeier said.
Immigration enforcement
The Waukesha County Sheriff's Office currently cooperates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the 287(g) program. Both candidates said they would continue that partnership.
"Anyone who has a law enforcement interest in keeping us safe in this county, we will 100 percent whole heartily work with them," Gscheidmeier said.
"This is an opportunity where we are holding people accountable. A, they are here illegally and two, they are committing crimes here," Ollinger said.
There is no Democratic candidate in the race. The primary is Tuesday.
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