The article centers on the appointment of a new sheriff in Wisconsin following the departure of Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. Chief Deputy Jason Hagen initially considered applying, but withdrew due to salary complications. Captain Darren Hodek is now seeking the appointment.
Hagen's withdrawal stemmed from legal restrictions preventing salary adjustments during an officer's term. According to state law, the County Board sets salaries, and a pay increase would have been impossible until the next election.
In contrast to Hagen's withdrawal, the Law Enforcement/Emergency Management Committee approved Captain Darren Hodek's request for a leave of absence, allowing him to pursue the sheriff's position.
Both Hagen and Hodek initially requested leaves of absence, creating speculation about their candidacy. However, Hagen later clarified that the requests were precautionary, not definite intentions to apply for the position. The News-Shield acknowledged any misunderstandings caused by previous reporting.
A series of events which started in early May 2025, and culminated Thursday morning, May 15, at a meeting in Barron, resulted in a decision by Chief Deputy Jason Hagen to withdraw from consideration for appointment by Gov. Tony Evers to succeed outgoing Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald.
The previous day, May 14, a News-Shield story said that both Hagen and Capt. Darren Hodek were going to ask the Law Enforcement and Emergency Management Committee for leaves of absence “indicating the possibility that they (might) be candidates for the sheriff’s job.”
At the start of the meeting, however, Fitzgerald requested that the committee drop Hagen’s request from the agenda.
After the meeting, Fitzgerald said that in order to be considered for the appointment, Hagen would have had to take a reduction in pay.
Corporation Counsel John Muench said that according to state law, the County Board sets the salary for elected officials (including the Sheriff), but it also stipulates that the (individual’s pay scale) “shall not be increased nor diminished during the officer’s term and shall remain for ensuing terms unless changed by the board.”
The same statute says that county supervisors “shall establish the annual compensation of the sheriff,” which means that there would have been no legal path to adjusting the pay rate of the Chief Deputy’s position until the next election (in November 2026).
Fitzgerald had previously endorsed Hagen’s appointment in a statement to the County Board Executive Committee.
At Thursday’s meeting, the Law Enforcement/Emergency Management Committee did approve Hodek’s request for leave of absence, allowing him to seek the appointment.
Hagen said in a later email message that both leave of absence requests were “preemptive, or just in case,” and “in no way indicated that either of us had determined at that point we were going to apply at that point in time.”
A related story includes the contents of an email message sent by Hagen to members of the Sheriff’s Department late Thursday morning, May 15, 2025.
The News-Shield regrets any misunderstanding generated by last week’s coverage.
If you often open multiple tabs and struggle to keep track of them, Tabs Reminder is the solution you need. Tabs Reminder lets you set reminders for tabs so you can close them and get notified about them later. Never lose track of important tabs again with Tabs Reminder!
Try our Chrome extension today!
Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more