CANDIDATES FOR SHERIFF DISAGREE ON DARE

Town of Genesee -- In their first debate in the race for Waukesha
County sheriff, challenger Richard Bach said Friday that Sheriff
William Kruziki doesn't have enough officers on patrol and should put
DARE officers on the road more often.

Kruziki disagreed, saying the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program
for students is vital to curbing drug abuse and preventing later problems.

While agreeing that DARE is a well-intentioned program, Bach, a
sheriff's detective, argued that the DARE officers could patrol more
often when not actually instructing.

"I'm in favor of integrating DARE officers back into patrol based on
seniority when they're not actively involved in the program," said
Bach, who joined the department in 1975. Kruziki acknowledged that
having officers in DARE has decreased the number of patrol officers
but said the program should remain a priority. He has said in the past
that the department can seek federal grants to help pay for additional
patrol officers.

Kruziki told the crowd of about 30 at the Wern Valley Sportsmen's Club
that he has "yet to hear a convincing argument or new program that can
replace DARE."

The debate was sponsored by the Waukesha County Deputies Union Local
174, and most in the crowd were Sheriff's Department employees.

The candidates, who will face each other in a Sept. 8 Republican
primary election, were given questions ahead of time for the debate
and, generally, read their answers from prepared statements.

Bach, suggesting that Kruziki has focused too much on specialized
programs, said he wants to see a return to a focus on patrolling.

"If we don't get back to the basics of law enforcement . . ., we are
going to lose customers," he said, referring to the municipalities
that contract with the department for service.

Kruziki, who joined the department about 20 years ago, said during the
debate that he sees advanced training for officers as a "crucial
component of our future."

Responding to the suggestion in a question that some officers are
given preferential treatment when it comes to training, he said that
only a few officers usually express interest in advanced training.

Bach said he would like to see additional training offered to all the
department's officers.

During the debate, Kruziki talked about the importance of increasing
community policing at substations to target drug and alcohol abuse and
his plans to get deputies more involved in the communities they patrol.

Bach briefly discussed his plans to use all-terrain vehicles or
motorbikes to patrol recreational trails throughout the county and to
increase snowmobile and boat patrols.

Because a Democrat has not come forward in the race for sheriff, the
winner of the Republican primary likely would be elected the next
sheriff in the Nov. 3 general election.

Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"