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Price County Law Enforcement Committee Minutes Date: March 9, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. Place: Courthouse County Board Room 101; 126 Cherry St; Phillips, WI 54555 Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Larry Palecek, Committee Chair. Roll Call Members Present: Joe Baratka, Robert Kopisch, Larry Palecek, Patricia Stephan, Dennis Wartgow Also Present: Robert Hawn, Chief Deputy Sheriff; Paula Houdek, County Supervisor (Remote); Brian Schmit, County Sheriff; Nick Trimner, County Administrator Items For Discussion and Possible Action 1. Public Comment and Communications: None. 2. Meeting Minutes – February 5, 2026 Motion Baratka/Wartgow to approve the February 5, 2026, meeting minutes. Motion carried. 3. Coroner – Department Report: The Governor’s office oversees recruiting a coroner for Price County. A public notice was posted on February 23, 2026, and applications will be accepted through March 6, 2026. Both the Sheriff’s Office and the Administrator have heard from four interested parties. There is currently an employee covering the coroner position interim. The 2026 fall election for the coroner position will be held as usual. 4. District Attorney – Department Report: No new updates. About one-and-a-half months ago an interested party reached out to the County, but the Governor’s Office won’t announce anything until the new District Attorney’s residency is established. 5. Clerk of Circuit Court – Department Report: There are no new updates, the office is fully staffed and running well. 6. Sheriff’s Office – Department Report a. New Ordinances i. Dangerous Animal Household: Updates provided at the April Law Enforcement meeting. b. Equipment Needs/Update i. Radio Project Request for Proposal (RFP) for Consultant: The police radio project involves multiple components including cellular towers, dispatch radio systems, bodycam technology, and additional equipment for law enforcement, emergency management and other community services. The County is considering hiring a consultant to streamline the project and advise the County on technology needs and purchasing. The project is estimated to begin in 2027-2028. Motion Baratka/Kopisch to start the process for a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a consultant (regarding the radio project), and to forward it on to the Executive Committee. Motion carried. c. Staffing Update: The Sheriff’s Office is conducting required background checks for two Sheriff’s Deputy applicants, and for one jail staff applicant. The office is always looking for part- time applicants. d. Humane Officer / Animal Control: From January 1, 2026, through March 6, 2026, there were 434 total law incidents; 42 of the 434 total incidents were Animal Control law incidents. e. K-9 Units: No new updates. f. Rec Officer: Discussion on wake boat rules and who enforces them. g. Jail Update: Total bookings from January 1, 2026, through March 6, 2026, were 72; in 2025, 638; in 2024, 556. Higher Ground total incoming and outgoing calls were 14,463; total minutes were 76,215; and average call duration was 5.3 minutes. There has been an increase in civil process and open records requests. In 2025 there were 385 civil process requests and 323 open records requests; in 2024, 321 civil process requests and 196 records requests; and in 2023, 312 civil process requests and 170 records requests. 7. Committee Vouchers: Motion Kopisch/Baratka to approve the February 2026 vouchers in the amounts of $91,016.93, for Law Enforcement; and $13,711.03 for the COC, Coroner, and District Attorney. Motion carried. 8. Date of Next Meeting: April 9, 2026 9. Adjourn: Meeting adjourned at 9:42 a.m. by Larry Palecek, Committee Chair. Respectfully Submitted by Meredith Hueckman, County Clerk