Stating Their Case • The Saginaw County Sheriff Candidate Forum

The race for Saginaw County Sheriff is certainly one of the more important decisions voters will make during the upcoming November 5^th general election.  The position of County Sheriff is a constitutionally mandated role calling for a duly elected Sheriff by the people in each county of the state. Currently Michigan has 83 counties and therefore 83 sheriffs; 68 below the Mackinac Bridge and 15 in the U.P.

The position of Sheriff has been a constitutional mandate since 1828, whereas the State Police did not exist until 1917.  In Saginaw County the job of Sheriff involves the responsibility of servicing approximately 190,000 people spread throughout 810 square miles in 27 townships, 3 cities, and 5 villages. Primary duties of the office include responding to calls from citizens, maintaining a jail system, protecting the courts, serving civil papers, along with numerous ancillary duties.

Back in 2016 the Saginaw department had 135 full-time employees in addition to non-sworn civilian personnel, however today that figure has dropped sharply while crime rates have risen, so apart from being skilled with budgetary & fiscal issues, the Sheriff must obviously possess solid and detail-oriented management skills.

Candidates running for this important office consist of Democratic incumbent William Federspiel, currently serving his fourth term in office, and Republican challenger Jason Wise, currently serving as Police Chief for the City of Zilwaukee.

In light of the numerous duties and responsibilities of this constitutionally mandated office, The Review is proud to present this Candidate Forum designed to appraise you of each candidate’s qualifications along with their vision for the department as we move forward into the future.

REVIEW:  What are your personal qualities and professional background and experience that you feel distinguishes you from your opponent, and why are you running for this position?

JASON WISE: I have a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and minor in Public Administration. In my final year of college I studied abroad in Israel, focusing on national security and forensics. I began my public service as a volunteer firefighter with the Saginaw Township Fire Department. I pursued a career in law enforcement and became a police officer, K-9 officer, computer forensic detective, and currently I am the Police Chief for the City of Zilwaukee.  Next, we are looking for a full-time sheriff to oversee the daily operations of the Sheriff’s Office.

WILLIAM FEDERSPIEL:  I believe that effective communication is one of my greatest strengths. I also believe that it is very important to listen to what the people of Saginaw County have to say. I have been a certified law enforcement officer since 1987, and I am running for this position because I genuinely care about the well-being of my fellow citizens. I am confident that things will continue to improve under my leadership.

REVIEW:  What do you feel are the three biggest issues currently facing the Sheriff Department and Saginaw county over the next four years?

FEDERSPIEL: The first issue is attracting and retaining qualified people to work at the Sheriff’s Office. We currently have 58 deputy positions and 8 law enforcement sergeants working at the agency. Keeping these individuals and attracting new ones as they retire is of paramount concern.

Inflation is also a big concern. Fuel costs and new vehicle purchases have risen sharply. 

Violent crime committed by adults, as well as juveniles, has been rising over the last couple of years. These types of crimes have been occurring across the entire county due to the ease of mobility by the suspects.

WISE: Initially, I am worried about the retention of officers at the Sheriff's Office. There are currently only 9 deputies, down from 28 in previous years. This means we have only three deputies and a Sergeant available for a shift, which is worrisome.

Review the current roster of the Sheriff’s Office. There are currently 36 deputies, 13 sergeants, and 5 lieutenants. The jail staff is currently at 36, down from 43. Out of the 36 deputies, some are assigned to transport, courthouse, SRO (School Resource Officers), FOC, detectives, and road patrol. This leaves us with 14 road deputies to handle complaints. As of now, we have lost three deputies to other employment opportunities. Additionally, one deputy was lost due to disciplinary reasons, and one is on medical leave.

This leaves us with nine deputies currently available for road patrol, which are split into 3 to 2 road complaint cars with one sergeant on the road. Yesterday, we only had one road complaint car on the road until it was pulled for medical transport, leaving us with just a sergeant car.

Secondly, I am concerned about the situation for the correctional officers in the jail. The jail staff is currently working at maximum capacity, and mandatory overtime is required.

Lastly, I am worried about accountability and spending. The current Sheriff's history of making unnecessary purchases, such as patrol vehicles that are unsuitable for our current needs, is directly impacting our budget and the resources available for essential operations. 

REVIEW:  Please discuss what actions and measures you would take to address these issues.

WISE:  First and foremost, I plan to boost morale in the Sheriff's Office and attract more applicants for the road patrol position. This involves increasing the number of deputies to 28, ensuring we have seven deputies and a sergeant per shift.

Next, I aim to optimize the jail's management operations to make it more appealing to potential candidates. By increasing the number of staff members, we can limit overtime costs and avoid pulling deputies off road patrol to manage medical transport to the hospital.

Finally, I will bring back our accountant to manage our monthly spending.  Regular monthly meetings with the management staff and the accountant will ensure a high level of accountability in our financial management, preventing wasteful spending and promoting fiscal responsibility

FEDERSPIEL:  My solution to combating inflation has been to purchase Durango’s instead of Tahoe’s, saving more than $7,000 per vehicle purchase. We have saved fuel expenses by keeping patrol vehicles in designated sub-stations throughout the county instead of having to drive them back and forth to headquarters at the beginning and end of shifts.

Working closely with the MSP and local law enforcements agencies and sharing information is crucial to preventing crime and apprehending criminals.

REVIEW  This year Saginaw ranked second in terms of cities with the highest per capita crime rate in the State of Michigan, with 1,859 total crimes, Benton Harbor coming in first with 576 crimes, Highland Park third with 510 crimes, and Detroit ranked 4th with 41,001 crimes.  With so much money dedicated to law enforcement from our state, local and federal budgets, what do you feel needs to be done to address this issue?

FEDERSPIEL: I have directed Sheriff’s patrols to assist with high-crime hot-spot areas within the city for the past 16 years and I will continue to do so moving forward. Therefore, my primary focus will continue to be providing law enforcement services to the out-county residents who have no local law enforcement agencies to serve them. Working together with other agencies is crucial to solving this problem

WISE:  Currently, the Sheriff’s Office receives a 1.75 millage rate from our county residents. This has generated a $10.3-million-dollar budget for 2024, with revenue up to $12.2 million dollars. With these numbers we should be able to maintain a full staff on the roads and a detective bureau to address area problems within our county.

My primary focus in the first four years is to target high-crime areas and reduce the number of class one felonies from previous levels.