Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt shifting focus on approach to law enforcement

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt says his office is shifting focus in fighting crime.

"We want to make it more proactive," Sheriff Schmidt tells the CBS 58 News at 4. "Finding the root cause of the problem before something actually happens. Before crime happens."

The sheriff says much of that approach will be data driven.

To that end the office is in the middle of a records management shift which will give him the ability to look at the records. What his deputies are responding to and how they're handling the situations.

"We'll be able to focus in on hot spots," explains the Sheriff. "Maybe landlords who have a difficulty bringing in a certain kind of tenant. Work with them and the tenants. It's not about forcing them out. But changing how they react. Maybe neighbors need to call us more often and be proactive instead of reactive after a crime."

The sheriff says law enforcement can't do everything.

"I only have so many resources. If I have a community working with me, we can react to potential problems."

Sheriff Schmidt is recently graduated from the National Sheriff's Institute learning about how to lead change.

"How to bring out troops and community along with us," is how the sheriff describes it.

He graduated with 28 other sheriffs who will be working on the same issues.

He says this will allow them to network and share information and find out what works best and what protocols need to be shelved.