Detectives
The Sheriff’s Detective Bureau is responsible for the investigation of felony and certain misdemeanor offenses that occur within Kenosha County. In addition, the Sheriff’s Detective Bureau exclusively investigates complaints that arise in the state judicial system in Kenosha County. The Detective Bureau is supervised by one lieutenant and is staffed by thirteen detectives who are assigned to five different units within the bureau. This bureau is supported by two clerical staff.
General Assignment Unit
The General Assignment Unit is staffed by seven detectives who are responsible for the investigation of crimes ranging from Criminal Damage complaints to Homicides. These detectives work a staggered 5-2, 5-3 schedule which provides seven day a week coverage. Detectives receive ongoing training and are proficient in a wide variety of investigative topics. Additionally, certain members of the unit receive specialized training in specific disciplines. As an example, a majority of General Assignment detectives have attended the nationally renowned State of Wisconsin Death Investigation School at Green Lake, Wisconsin. Additionally, two detectives have been certified as Computer Voice Stress Analyzer operators. The C.V.S.A. is a new truth verification system which is rapidly replacing the polygraph in many law enforcement agencies.
Juvenile Crimes
The Juvenile Crimes Unit is staffed by one full-time detective whose primary responsibility is to investigate juvenile crimes. This scope of responsibility does however go beyond the actual investigation of juvenile crimes. This individual also works closely with other agencies such as Juvenile Intake, Social Services and the District Attorney’s Office to determine the appropriate course of action for juvenile offenders. This detective is also involved in attempts to locate juvenile runaways. In addition to specialized training this detective maintains a board membership with the Wisconsin Juvenile Officers Association so as to remain in the forefront of juvenile justice. He is also a member of the Child Fatality Review Team which is a multi-disciplined team that reviews all child death investigations.
Sensitive Crimes Unit
This unit is staffed by one full-time detective and is assisted on a part-time basis by another detective. This unit is responsible for the investigation of domestic violence and sexual offenses. It is also responsible for the dissemination of information through Act 440. This law now allows law enforcement to notify a community when a convicted sex offender, who has a high probability of re-offending, is released into that community. This unit also works closely with citizen support groups such as Kenoshans Against Sexual Assault (KASA), Kenosha Domestic Assault Intervention Project (KDAIP), Coordinated Response To Child Abuse (CO-RE) and others.
Consumer Fraud
This unit is responsible for the investigation of consumer fraud complaints which include white collar crimes. This detective handles complaints from sophisticated banking fraud to gypsy black-topping scams. Last year, this unit handled approximately 1350 inquiries. This detective also is the liaison to government recalls on consumer products and relays this information through the local media. Computer crimes are also investigated in this unit.
Welcome to the Kenosha Sheriff's Department
Captain Larry Apker
A resident of Kenosha County since 1963, Captain Larry Apker was educated in the Kenosha Unified School System and graduated from Tremper High School in 1976. He has an Associate's Degree in Police Science from Gateway Technical College and a BA in Criminal Justice from Columbia Southern University
. Hired as a Deputy Sheriff by the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department on April 7th, 1986 he worked as a Patrol Deputy on all three shifts until he was promoted to the rank of Detective on December 16th, 1993. As a Detective, Larry worked in general assignment taking on and investigating a wide variety of cases ranging from theft to homicide. He also was assigned to the Department’s Special Investigative Unit, assigned to investigate welfare fraud cases. On November 16, 1998 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and served as the second shift Patrol Commander, and as the Jail Administrator, responsible for the daily operations of the downtown Pre-Trial Facility.
On August 7th, 2002, Larry was promoted to the rank of Captain and served as the Detentions Division Commander through December of 2004. He was responsible for the administration of all detentions related operations, including the downtown Pre-Trial Facility, the Kenosha County Detention Center as well as the Court Services Unit. His current position of Captain of Field Operations includes being responsible for all Patrol and Investigative Units as well as the Tactical Response Team, the Hazardous Device Unit, the Bike Patrol, the Marine Unit, the Dive Team and the Kenosha County Controlled Substance Unit.
Patrol
The 49 uniformed supervisors and deputies under the leadership of the Division Captain are responsible for patrolling highways, streets, and neighborhoods of the county 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They respond to traffic accidents, issue traffic citations, keep the peace and quell disturbances, arrest offenders and testify in court. They are the ones who arrive when a caller frantically dials 911 and begs for help. They are the men and women who rush into burning buildings to rescue trapped residents. They breathe life back into the frail bodies of struggling infants and pursue lawbreakers who wreak havoc on the public. Deputies weather temperatures that may climb over one hundred degrees or drop to well below zero. Over the course of a career, deputy sheriffs will rub shoulders with the elite, the hard-working laborer, and the derelict who is broken in body and spirit. The deputies will mingle with the rich and poor, young and old, sick and well. From youngsters to senior citizens, people rely on the uniformed sheriff’s deputy for advice, help and sympathy.
Specialized units within the patrol cooperate with one another to carry out their assignments. Specialized Units
