Where I stand
Equal Enforcement of the Law
The test of a Sheriff is simple: does the law mean the same thing for everyone, or does it bend for the connected?
In Dane County, we just watched it bend. A judge found probable cause that Ridglan Farms was committing felony animal cruelty. State inspectors documented 311 violations. The facility settled and surrendered its license. It was never criminally charged.
The people who exposed that cruelty were charged with felonies. Sixty-two people referred, thirty-three felony burglary counts, for nonviolent rescues. And the one man who actually committed violence against people that day, who slashed tires and drove his truck into activists on video, faced only reckless driving and criminal damage. The Sheriff described him to the public as “a nearby neighbor,” leaving out that he is the facility owner’s son-in-law and a town constable.
Felonies for the people who exposed the abuse. A pass for the abuser. A pass for the man who drove into a crowd. That is not law enforcement. That is taking sides.
As Sheriff, I will:
- Apply one standard. Activists, businesses, and the politically connected get investigated by the same rules, every time.
- Take every credible complaint seriously, whether the accused is a protester or the company the protest is about.
- Disclose conflicts of interest instead of hiding them, and recuse the department where they exist.
- Tell the public the whole truth about who is involved in an incident, not a curated version that protects the connected.
Equal justice is not a slogan. It is the job.