The County Board may require the appointment of regularly employed deputies to be in accordance with the pertinent civil service ordinance. The County Board may fix the number and the compensation, if any, of all deputy sheriffs, whether regularly employed or honorary deputies. Notwithstanding the number fixed by ordinance, the Sheriff retains the power to call a posse comitatus pursuant to sec. 59.24(1), Stats. 68-334
Public records
Sheriff's criminal investigation files are not covered by a blanket exemption from the public records law, but denial of access may be justified on a case-by-case basis. 77-42
Sheriff's radio log, intradepartmental documents kept by Sheriff and blood test records of deceased automobile drivers in hands of Sheriff are public records subject to inspection and copying under sec. 19.21(2), Stats., and subject to limitations contained in court cases cited which place duty on custodian to withhold disclosure where substantial harmful effect upon the public interest would result. Specific reason for withholding must be given which may be tested by mandamus in the courts. Such records do not appear to be records required by law to be kept by Sheriff. Where records are acquired by law to be kept by Sheriff, right of inspection exists under sec. 59.14(1), Stats. That portion of 41 OAG 237 (1952) inconsistent with this opinion is repudiated. 67-12
Radio channel for police and emergency use
A sheriff's actions in determining access to a county's law enforcement channel are ministerial in nature. The negligent exercise of that authority could subject the sheriff to liability. 76-7
Release on bail denied discussed
Acting under the authority of section 969.07, Stats., local law enforcement officials may deny release from custody to a person arrested for a misdemeanor if in the officials' opinion the person is not in a fit condition to care for his or her own safety or would constitute, because of his or her physical condition, a danger to the safety of others. 75-209
Residence requirements
In counties that have imposed no local residency requirement, only deputy sheriffs or undersheriffs appointed pursuant to section 59.21(1), Stats., are required to be county residents at the time of initial employment. 80-119
Responsibilities to urbanized areas
A sheriff may not unilaterally withdraw most forms of investigative services provided within one urbanized town within a county. 81-24
Salaries and wages
Individual appointed to fill vacancy in office of Sheriff is entitled to same salary as predecessor. County Board may increase but cannot decrease such compensation during term of such officer. (Unpub.). 1-1975
The salaries of elected county officials may be increased during their terms. But any increase put into effect after the earliest time for filing nomination papers does not carry forward to the new term unless the County Board again votes the increase. 69-1
Transportation of individual in emergency detention
Pursuant to section 51.20(14), Stats., the director of the county department under section 51.42 or 51.437 may request the sheriff of the county in which an individual was placed under emergency detention to transport that individual to another designated inpatient facility prior to the initial court hearing under chapter 51, and the sheriff must do so within a reasonable time. 80-299
Travel expense
A sheriff who is unsuccessful in serving an execution on a judgment is not entitled to a fee allowed under sec. 59.28, Stats., unless he has in some manner demanded payment on an execution on the judgment under sec. 59.28(6), Stats. 67-140
Tribal police
The Menominee County Sheriff's Department and the Menominee tribal police may carry out a program of cross-deputization. Menominee tribal police must meet the statutory and constitutional requirements for appointment as deputy sheriffs. (Unpub.). 93-1979
While sheriffs lack statutory or common law authority to contract to provide county dispatch services to outside entities such as tribal public safety departments, sheriffs do have exclusive authority to instruct their deputies as to how such dispatch services should be performed in furtherance of their law enforcement functions. 78-85
Water safety patrol officers
Water safety patrol officers in county patrol, created as a separate agency, do not have to be deputized by Sheriff to enforce secs. 30.50-30.80, Stats., Wisconsin's Regulation of Boating Law. 65-169
SHIPPING
See TRANSPORTATION
SKI PATROL
See NATIONAL SKI PATROL
SMOKING
See POLLUTION
SNOWMOBILES
Accident reports
Snowmobile accident reports filed with the Department of Natural Resources pursuant to section 350.15(3), Stats., are not confidential documents. 76-56
Conservation warden
A conservation warden, acting pursuant to the arrest power conferred upon him by sec. 29.05(1), Stats., may arrest with or without a warrant, any person detected in the actual violation, or any person whom such officer has reasonable cause to believe guilty of a violation of ch. 350, Stats., except where applicable to highways. A conservation warden has the power under sec. 29.05(1), Stats., to stop any snowmobile and to make necessary inquiries, if he has reasonable cause to believe there is a violation of ch. 350, Stats., and to conduct a limited weapons search where he reasonably suspects that he or another is in danger of physical injury. 64-166
Forfeitures
Section 349.06(1), Stats., authorizes local authorities to enact and enforce any ordinance which is in strict conformity with traffic regulation provisions of ch. 350, Stats., for which the penalty for violation is a forfeiture. 66-161
Operation of "adjacent to a roadway"
The rights of property owners abutting a highway are subject to reasonable regulations imposed by highway maintenance authorities and are subordinate to the public's interest over the use of the land within the boundaries of a highway right of way. 75-10
SOIL CONSERVATION
Referendum election
An ordinance formulated and proposed by the supervisors of a county soil and water conservation district, created pursuant to sec. 92.05, Stats., is not necessarily invalid simply because its effect is limited to the regulation of agricultural practices and uses on land currently utilized for agricultural purposes. All resident electors of the "area to be affected" by such an ordinance may vote in a referendum election on the ordinance whether or not they reside on the specific kind of property which may be the subject of such regulations. 68-126
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
See WASTE MANAGEMENT
STATE
Accounting principles used
A deficit reported in financial statements prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles would not violate article VIII, section 5 of the Wisconsin Constitution, which requires a balanced budget. 74-202
Employe
Discussion of restrictions which section 16.417(2), Stats., imposes on dual state employment of state employes. 77-245
The lobby law prohibits a state employe from accepting compensation for serving on the board of directors or providing any other service to a principal as defined in section 13.62(12), Stats. 77-160
Garnishment
The state is immune from suit in any garnishment action not involving a state employe or officer and, with the exception of those cases falling under sections 779.15 and 779.155, Stats., monies held in the state treasury on the account of independent contractors are not available to satisfy the judgment debts owed by them. 77-17
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
A deficit reported in financial statements prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles would not violate article VIII, section 5 of the Wisconsin Constitution, which requires a balanced budget. 74-202
Great Lakes Protection Fund
The state may not contract public debt to finance its contribution to the proposed Great Lakes Protection Fund because the projects intended to be funded are not water improvements within the meaning of article VIII, section 7(2)(a)1. of the Wisconsin Constitution. 78-100
Internal improvement
The State of Wisconsin Investment Board lacks the authority to borrow money and secure that debt utilizing real estate owned by it as an asset of the fixed retirement trust. Such board does have the authority to acquire encumbered real estate where the debt is assumed without recourse. 78-189
Lobbying
