Mark Milbrandt began his law enforcement career as a part-time correctional officer, but rose through the ranks over the years, eventually earning voter approval as sheriff in 1994.
Looking back, Milbrandt said he pursued this career field with the eventual goal of being a sheriff. When he was hired as a correctional officer in 1979, Milbrandt said, he was simply looking for a part-time job and found he liked the field and stayed there. And, over the years, different promotion opportunities have become available from Deputy, Investigator to Chief Deputy, and ultimately Sheriff candidate.
Milbrandt spoke to the American News earlier this month. With just weeks to go until his term in the Brown County Sheriff’s Office ends, it’s clear he takes pride in the family atmosphere in his office. Its employees can both joke when it’s appropriate and get down when it’s time to get serious.
He also investigated his share of cases. Some of them stick with him long after they’re solved – like his first murder investigation. Milbrandt said one started out as a missing person case until his body was found west of town by a farmer.
Milbrandt said a new chemical at the time – luminol – was used to treat one of the vehicles for evidentiary purposes.
“It lit up,” he said.
Luminol is a chemical that can be sprayed on a surface and detect traces of blood.
Milbrandt said investigators were continuing to investigate the case, which lasted a year, he said, they just continued to work on the evidence.
But, he said, while this case will stay with him because it was his first murder investigation, all cases are important, including unsolved cases that never get resolved. .
And, he said, while investigations and crimes make headlines, it’s only a fraction of what MPs do on a daily basis.
“People don’t understand what a sheriff is responsible for,” he said, explaining that it wasn’t just about police investigations. The other part of the job is selling seizures, processing distress warrants, executions, and warrants related to felony or misdemeanor charges.
Milbrandt said distress warrants are filed when a person has obtained a civil action against another person in court. This distress warrant gives the sheriff the power to seize property to satisfy this request.
But, he said, processing each of these warrants takes time because MPs must first find the person who is the subject of the claim or warrant.
The sheriff is also responsible for the operation of the jail, the juvenile detention center and the 911 communications center, which is overseen by the Communications Board.
While many changes have occurred over the years, one has been the fluctuating capacity of Brown County Jail, which began as a facility designed to house 70 people, before capacity was reduced to 48.
Although there are several programs available to reduce the prison population, such as the 24-7 program, which requires twice-daily breathalyzer testing; and GPS monitoring, the need is there for a new prison, which is operating at full capacity.
The county has purchased a building for new space, but determining funding for the development of the jail is critical and yet to be determined.
Milbrandt’s term ends at the end of December. In January, that’s when Chief Deputy Dave Lunzman will become Sheriff Dave Lunzman. He ran unopposed in November. Filling the chief deputy seat will be deputy/investigator Jon Lemke.
Lunzman learned how much is still going on in the sheriff’s office
Lunzman came to the sheriff’s office as a chief deputy four years ago. It is the third law enforcement agency he has worked for as he began his career with the Aberdeen Police Service before moving to the Criminal Investigations Division. After retiring as a DCI agent, Lunzman spent a few years investigating elder abuse cases through the Attorney General’s office.
Working for the sheriff’s office, he said, is a learning experience because the sheriff’s office does everything other law enforcement agencies do and more.
This includes not only civil documents that need to be processed and warrants, he said, but also documents filed for concealed carry permits. It’s a workload, he said, that was “much more than I thought”.
But, Lunzman also agrees that employees all pull themselves together, especially in a crisis. The most recent example he gave occurred last week when there was a water leak in the prison. Not only did maintenance have to step in to fix the leak and reroute the lines to restore service, but the employees were quick to suggest ordering pizza because the kitchen couldn’t be used.
In this situation, he said, no employee viewed the water leak as something that was not their problem. Instead, he said, they worked together to solve problems and meet the needs of the prison.
As he prepares for his new role, Lunzman said, he knows he doesn’t have all the answers, but he has a good base and he hopes the county can move forward with development. of a new jail, which he sees as the biggest problem facing the county right now.
