Welcome to the Badger State Sheriff’s Association (BSSA) website.
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The BSSA is comprised of all 72 Wisconsin Sheriffs. The association is there to assist sheriffs by providing resources and training to every sheriff’s office as each sheriff fulfills their constitutional responsibilities in their respective county. I have the distinct honor of being elected by my peers to serve as the President of this great organization.
In 2022, the BSSA developed a mission statement and organizational goals for our organization. As such, I feel it is important that they are highlighted for all sheriffs and the citizens we serve.
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BSSA Mission Statement
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The Badger State Sheriff’s Association develops and supports sheriff’s offices across Wisconsin through action that ensures they retain the capability and authority required to perform their constitutional duties.
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BSSA Core Values
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Safe Communities: Creating and maintaining safe communities for all. This is a common theme and driving factor for sheriffs, and one of the reasons they chose a career in law enforcement. Most, if not all, decisions they make are done for the purpose of creating safe communities.
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Service: Duties of the Office of Sheriff go beyond traditional law enforcement, and include a variety of public service duties such as education, public health, mental health, and policy development.
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Preserving the autonomy and integrity of the Office of Sheriff: Uniformly, sheriffs value the unique nature of the elected office of sheriff and its defined constitutional duties. A primary concern of BSSA is ensuring this executive office retains freedom from other branches of government that may infringe or water down its authority.
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“Sheriffs serving Sheriffs”: Sheriffs support one another through formal and informal mentoring, shared service provision, and collaboration to address shared issues. This core value has remained constant through past strategic plans and was reflected in nearly all input collected during this process.
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My goal for my term as 2023-2024 BSSA President will be to lead the organization through whatever challenges and opportunities may present themselves to the organization or sheriffs individually. We will do so using our Mission Statement and Core Values as a guide for success. BSSA will also work proactively to build relationships with our partners and stakeholders toward making BSSA an efficient and effective resource for all sheriffs. Finally, we will continue our efforts in working with the legislature to ensure legislation is considered that is beneficial for the safety and security of all persons within our great state.
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The Office of Sheriff is one of great honor and it is our duty to serve our citizens. The men and women that I serve with as sheriffs are among the most honorable that I know and I am proud to serve with them. The motto I have grown to live by is “No Sheriff Stands Alone”, a motto that I will continue to live by as the president of this organization.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and thank you for supporting your County Sheriff.
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Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt
Badger State Sheriff’s Association
President
