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Hohensee says Brown County is ready for change

BROWN COUNTY — Sheriff’s candidate Jeff Hohensee said he thinks Brown County citizens are ready for a change and said communication and training will be among the things he will stress if elected sheriff.

“If elected, I plan to return the Brown County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to a more professional organization,” Hohensee said. “I will coach, teach and provide training to Brown County Sheriff’s Office employees so they can use their strengths and talents to provide the best service possible to the residents of Brown County.”

Hohensee listed six campaign issues: solving crimes, Drug Task Force (DTF) reform, implementing a county-wide Crime Stoppers program, reinstating Brown County TRIAD, expanding the Drug Take-Back Program and emergency management.

Hohensee said he would reform the DTF, which he said has a low number of arrests in 2012-2017, by getting back to what made it successful in its earlier years.

“It has a new commander in Renville County Sheriff’s Office, Investigator Jeff Morris, whom I hired and trained when I was on the DTF,” Hohensee said. “We will get back to basics with weekly meetings and setting short-term, mid-term, monthly and long-term goals. The way to achieve goals is to discuss them.”

Hohensee said when he commanded the DTF, he required members to attend all meetings and set goals.

“That’s how we stayed on top of it.” Hohensee said. “We worked very cohesively as a unit.”

In addition, as sheriff, Hohensee said he would implement a county-wide Crime Stoppers Program, creating community policing with a renewed customer focus. This program gives each community the same seat at the table where issues are discussed that are important to a specific community.

Hohensee said he would reinstate a once-thriving Brown County TRIAD (law enforcement, senior citizens and community groups working together).

In addition, he would reinstate Drug Take-Back Program drop-offs at the Sleepy Eye and Springfield Police Departments and attempt to add an emergency management director to the sheriff’s office staff.

The New Ulm Public Department (NUPD) senior investigator with 27 years on the force, Hohensee supervises and investigates all felony cases reported to the NUPD. He said he has done 5,000 criminal investigations and has been the sex trafficking lead investigator since 2014.

In addition, he lists his experience as working more than 1,000 child protection investigations and search warrants. He was the Drug Task Force commander from 2009 to 2011 and Emergency Response Team member from 1994 to 2008.

Hohensee said the BCSO is among the lowest in Minnesota at solving crimes in the last 12 years.

“My experience is that counties that have good, positive leadership and a good training program for their deputies show a direct correlation to higher clearance rates,” Hohensee said. “If elected sheriff, I intend to bring the crime rate statistics back up.”

Hohensee called county crime clearance rates “a report card.”

Voters can get a chance to meet and listen to the four Brown County Sheriff candidates at a forum sponsored by the New Ulm League of Women Voters at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 2, in the New Ulm City Hall council chambers.

“I’m looking forward to the debate,” Hohensee said. “I enjoy campaigning and talking with people about the issues. I think it’s healthy to have this forum to give voters a chance to bring issues to light.”

Hohensee said he has talked to many people and received a lot of positive support on the campaign trail.

“It’s busy. I’m dedicating going door to door every night after work,” Hohensee said. “I’ve talked to fire departments and been to many community events. I look at this as a marathon, one step at a time. People have been extremely receptive and are engaged. I think Brown County citizens are ready for a change.”

Hohensee grew up in Winona. He received a law enforcement degree at Alexandria Tech before moving to New Ulm 27 years ago. He and his wife Mary have been married 20 years. Their oldest daughter, Ellie, is studying nursing at Winona State University. Rachel is a junior at New Ulm High School and Benjamin is an eighth-grader at New Ulm Middle school.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.

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