Barron County Sheriff’s Department Patrol Captain Darren Hodek spoke to the County Board about his candidacy for the next sheriff on Monday, May 19.

“None of us thought Sheriff (Chris) Fitzgerald would leave. Honestly, I thought I would retire and he’d still be here in 10 years,” said Hodek.

Hodek has been with the Sheriff’s Department for 17 years, hired under previous sheriff Tom Richie. He has moved up from patrol to patrol sergeant and finally to patrol captain last year. Prior to his 20 years in law enforcement, Hodek served in the military and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as a U.S. Army combat engineer during 2003 and 2004.

“My reason for seeking appointment as sheriff is to basically keep the Sheriff’s Department moving in the right direction—to carry on the relationships that Chris has started,” said Hodek. “I just want to keep the ship going right now, keep it going straight, keep it going good, and don’t make any major changes. My main goal is to run the Sheriff’s Department effectively and efficiently, and God willing, have every deputy, every dispatcher, and every jailer go home to their families at the end of the shift. And keep the citizens, tourists, and everybody in Barron County safe.”

Gov. Tony Evers is accepting applications for the sheriff position until Friday, May 23.

Fitzgerald also addressed the board and said that Hodek had the full support of him and Chief Deputy Jason Hagen.

Fitzgerald said he didn’t plan to leave the department, but he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work in public relations for Mosaic Technologies.

“I’ll get to stay in the spotlight and do a lot of fun stuff,” said Fitzgerald.

He dispelled some of the rumors floating around.

“I’m not sick. I’m not running for another office. I don’t have cancer. My wife’s not leaving me. There isn’t a scandal,” said Fitzgerald.

He also felt the time was right for the department.

“It’s kind of a perfect opportunity to leave,” said Fitzgerald. “We’re fully staffed. We’re not dealing with any major incidents. The jail project is in good hands.”

Fitzgerald said he also had the support of his family.

“My wife said, ‘Go do something for yourself.’”

Fitzgerald left the board with two pieces of advice: “Continue to work together, even in disagreements, and change your public comment policy. Do not let people stand up here and say whatever they want. Misinformation makes my job harder; it makes other departments’ jobs harder.”

He encouraged the board to change its public comment policy by directing people to first address their concerns with department heads and committees before addressing the entire County Board.