Sheriff The incumbent sheriff of Racine County is Christopher Schmaling. Schmaling has been part of the sheriff's office since 1996. He was first elected in the
2010 midterm election, receiving 63 percent of the vote. Schmaling took office on January 3, 2011, replacing retiring sheriff Robert Carlson, who had served in the position since 2003. Schmaling is a
Republican and member of the
Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, and has campaigned for
Donald Trump. During the
COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, Schmaling refused to enforce the state's stay-at-home order, claiming it was unconstitutional. In 2021, Schmaling accused the
Wisconsin Elections Commission of breaking the law during the 2020 election, in connection with
claims of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election: the Racine County prosecutor declined to bring charges. In 2022, Schmaling declined to investigate a man who had requested fraudulent absentee ballots in order to demonstrate weaknesses in the absentee ballot request system.
Chief deputy The chief deputy of the sheriff's office serves as the sheriff's second-in-command. The current chief deputy is James Weidner. The previous chief deputy is John C. Hanrahan. In 2004, the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators awarded him with the Michael Vendola Death Investigator of the Year Award. He was involved in the investigation of
Racine County Jane Doe. == Jail==