La Crosse sheriff finds it hard to recruit officers

The La Crosse County sheriff is making plans to handle big local events this summer, even as he has some staff openings to fill.

Sheriff Jeff Wolf says he expects his department to be short about five positions in May.

And Wolf tells the county’s judiciary committee that there’s less interest in law enforcement jobs than there was a few years ago…saying that openings that might have attracted 100 candidates in the past now draw only about 25.

Wolf says he found information from the 1940’s about the sheriff department, when the county only needed 7 sheriff’s officers…and the department’s annual budget was a mere $11,000.

The sheriff’s department will be on duty this summer at the Country Boom music festival near West Salem.

Wolf also says his department could provide officers for security at the Democratic National Convention next year in Milwaukee.