Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 59 - Counties.
59.27 - Sheriff; duties.

59.27 Sheriff; duties. The sheriff of a county shall do all of the following:
(1) Take the charge and custody of the jail maintained by the county and the persons in the jail, and keep the persons in the jail personally or by a deputy or jailer.
(2) Keep a true and exact register of all prisoners committed to any jail under the sheriff's charge, in a book for that purpose, which shall contain the names of all persons who are committed to any such jail, their residence, the time when committed and cause of commitment, and the authority by which they were committed; and if for a criminal offense, a description of the person; and when any prisoner is liberated, state the time when and the authority by which the prisoner was liberated; and if any person escapes, state the particulars of the time and manner of such escape.
(3) Attend upon the circuit court held in the sheriff's county during its session, and at the request of the court file with the clerk thereof a list of deputies for attendance on the court. The court may by special order authorize additional deputies to attend when the court is engaged in the trial of any person charged with a crime. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the board shall establish the rate of compensation and the level of services to be provided. The sheriff or one or more deputies shall attend the court of appeals when it is in session in the sheriff's county. The state shall reimburse the county from the appropriation under s. 20.660 (1) for the actual salary paid to the sheriff or deputies for the service provided for the court of appeals.
(4) Personally, or by the undersheriff or deputies, serve or execute all processes, writs, precepts and orders issued or made by lawful authority and delivered to the sheriff.
(5) Deliver on demand to the sheriff's successor in office, when the sheriff's successor has qualified according to law, the jail and other property of the county and all prisoners in the jail, and all books, records, writs, processes, orders and other papers belonging to the sheriff's office and in the possession of the sheriff, undersheriff, jailer or deputies, except as provided in s. 59.33, and upon the delivery of these items the successor in office shall execute a receipt to the sheriff therefor.
(6) In counties having a population of 300,000 or more, assign one deputy, to be mutually agreed upon by the sheriff and the district attorney, to the office of the district attorney.
(7) Perform all other duties required of the sheriff by law.
(8) The sheriff is authorized to destroy all sheriff's dockets, daily jail records and cash books dated prior to 1901. It shall be the duty of the sheriff to retain and safely keep all such records for a period of 8 years, or a shorter period authorized by the public records board under s. 16.61 (3) (b), after which the records may be destroyed.
(9) When the sheriff is required to serve or execute a summons, order or judgment, or to do any other act, the sheriff shall be bound to do so in like manner as upon process issued to the sheriff, and shall be equally liable in all respects for neglect of duty; and if the sheriff is a party the coroner shall perform the service and all statutes relating to sheriffs shall apply to coroners where the sheriff is a party.
(10) To enforce in the county all general orders of the department of safety and professional services relating to the sale, transportation and storage of explosives.
(11) Conduct operations within the county and, when the board so provides, in waters of which the county has jurisdiction under s. 2.04 for the rescue of human beings and for the recovery of human bodies.
(12) Before conducting a sale of foreclosed property, contact the clerk of the federal bankruptcy court to determine whether the court has granted a stay of relief on that property.
(13) Enforce all city, or village, ordinances in a city, or village, in which the sheriff provides law enforcement services under a contract described under s. 62.13 (2s) (a).
History: 1973 c. 157; 1977 c. 203, 418, 449; 1989 a. 248; 1991 a. 316; 1995 a. 27 ss. 3288, 3289, 9116 (5); 1995 a. 201 ss. 276 to 281; Stats. 1995 s. 59.27; 1995 a. 225 s. 156; 1997 a. 27, 35; 2005 a. 40; 2011 a. 32.
Sheriffs' powers and duties are discussed. Professional Police Ass'n v. Dane County, 106 Wis. 2d 303, 316 N.W.2d 656 (1982).
A sheriff's assignment of a deputy to an undercover drug investigation falls within the constitutionally protected powers of the sheriff and could not be limited by a collective bargaining agreement. Manitowoc County v. Local 986B, 168 Wis. 2d 819, 484 N.W.2d 534 (1992).
Under the Wisconsin Constitution, the sheriff has certain powers and prerogatives derived from the common law that cannot be limited by collective bargaining agreements. If a duty is one of those immemorial principal and important duties that characterized the office of sheriff at common law, the sheriff may choose the ways and means of performing the duty and cannot be limited by a collective bargaining agreement. Internal management and administrative duties fall within the “mundane and commonplace" duties not preserved at common law. Dunn County v. WERC, 2006 WI App 120, 293 Wis. 2d 637, 718 N.W.2d 138, 05-1917.
A collective bargaining agreement provision confining the powers of deputies serving as court security officers to the county judicial center and giving the clerk of courts priority over the sheriff in the scheduling, directing, and supervision of those deputies interferes with the sheriff's duty of attendance on the court, which is a duty preserved for the sheriff by the constitution. Dunn County v. WERC, 2006 WI App 120, 293 Wis. 2d 637, 718 N.W.2d 138, 05-1917.
The power to hire does not give character and distinction to the office of sheriff; it is not a power peculiar to the office. Certain duties of the sheriff at common law that are peculiar to the office and that characterize and distinguish the office are constitutionally protected from legislative interference, but the constitution does not prohibit all legislative change in the powers and duties of a sheriff as they existed at common law. Internal management and administrative duties that neither give character nor distinction to the office fall within the mundane and common administrative duties that may be regulated by the legislature. Hiring and firing personnel to provide food to inmates is subject to legislative regulation, including collective bargaining under s. 111.70. Kocken v. Wisconsin Council 40 AFSCME, 2007 WI 72, 301 Wis. 2d 266, 732 N.W.2d 828, 05-2742.
The assignment of deputies to transport federal and state prisoners to and from a county jail pursuant to a contract for the rental of bed space is not a constitutionally protected duty of the sheriff's office and is thus subject to the restrictions of a collective bargaining agreement. Ozaukee County v. Labor Ass'n of Wisconsin, 2008 WI App 174, 315 Wis. 2d 102, 763 N.W.2d 140, 07-1615.
A sheriff may not be restricted in whom the sheriff assigns to carry out the sheriff's constitutional duties if the sheriff is performing immemorial, principal, and important duties characterized as belonging to the sheriff at common law. Attending on the courts is one of the duties preserved for the sheriff by the constitution. When a sheriff effects the delivery of prisoners pursuant to court-issued writs, the sheriff is attending on the court and can contract with a private entity for the transportation of prisoners, rather than utilizing deputies employed by the sheriffs department. Brown County Sheriff's Department Non-Supervisory Labor Ass'n v. Brown County, 2009 WI App 75, 318 Wis. 2d 774, 767 N.W.2d 600, 08-2069.
Staffing an x-ray and metal detector security screening station is not one of those “certain immemorial, principal, and important duties of the sheriff at common law that are peculiar to the office of sheriff" and is not part of the sheriff's constitutionally protected powers that cannot be limited by a collective bargaining agreement. Washington County v. Washington County Deputy Sheriff's Ass'n, 2009 WI App 116, 320 Wis. 2d 570, 772 N.W.2d 697, 08-1210.
The transport of individuals in conjunction with the service or execution of all processes, writs, precepts, and orders constitute immemorial, principal, and important duties that characterize and distinguish the office of sheriff and fall within the sheriff's constitutional powers, rights, and duties. As such, the sheriff has the constitutional authority to determine how to carry out those duties and can elect to privatize those duties. That sub. (4) specifically directs that the sheriff must act personally or by means of his undersheriff or deputies is not persuasive. The simple fact that the legislature codified a duty and responsibility of the sheriff, like providing food for jail inmates, does not strip sheriffs of any constitutional protections they may have regarding this duty. Milwaukee Deputy Sheriff's Ass'n v. Clarke, 2009 WI App 123, 320 Wis. 2d 486, 772 N.W.2d 216, 08-2290.
A sheriff has authority to aid in a rescue on ice on Lake Michigan. 60 Atty. Gen. 62.
Neither a sheriff nor a deputy can solicit or receive compensation not provided by law for official duties, but a deputy, while off duty, can be employed as a private security officer. 61 Atty. Gen. 256.
Neither the sheriff nor the county board may “privatize" the jailer function under sub. (1). 77 Atty. Gen. 94.
Neither a county nor a county sheriff possesses statutory authority to use county funds to establish a revolving bail fund for the purpose of making loans to persons allowing them to post bail for certain kinds of offenses for which they are booked into the county jail. OAG 1-09.

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