Madison, Wis. – As County Executive Melissa Agard unveils the 2027 budget, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett is pushing back against two amendments that would trim funding for the sheriff’s office. One amendment seeks to cut $3 million earmarked for expanding the department’s body‑camera rollout, while another would eliminate three vacant deputy positions and redirect roughly $500,000 to the Human Services Department.
Body‑camera funding under scrutiny
Supervisors have proposed scaling back the body‑camera program, which the county budget currently allocates enough money for 200 new cameras. Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner argues the amendment is needed for additional public input on policy before the funds are released. A companion amendment, co‑sponsored by Supervisor Yogesh Chawla, calls for a finalized policy on storage, retention and access, plus an extra public comment hearing, before any cameras are deployed.
“Body‑worn cameras work best when we build that program and the policy side by side,” Chawla said. “This amendment shows the board being thoughtful and trying to be a good partner to help fund the program while ensuring it works well from day one.”
Sheriff Barrett counters that a working draft policy has been public for years, drafted by a third‑party agency, and that the department has already incorporated feedback from focus groups. He notes that groups such as the NAACP have sent letters of support and that the sheriff’s office plans additional outreach in the county’s northeast and southeast regions, though that outreach will not be complete before the board votes.
“Body‑worn cameras are an integral part of what we do today,” Barrett said. “Eighty‑eight percent of law‑enforcement agencies in Wisconsin have them, and two of the largest – Madison PD and Dane County Sheriff’s Office – do not. Our profession, the community, and our deputies all demand them. Why does Supervisor Wegleitner not want them?”
Deputy vacancies and budget trade‑offs
A separate amendment, also sponsored by Wegleitner, would eliminate three vacant deputy positions and shift the estimated $500,000 savings to the county’s Human Services Department and nonprofit partners such as Urban Triage and the YWCA. Residents at the Public Protection and Judiciary Committee hearing voiced strong support for redirecting funds toward housing and human services, emphasizing the urgency of addressing hunger and homelessness.
Barrett strongly opposes the reallocation, calling it an unsustainable approach to balancing the budget. “It’s a poor strategy to take from one county department to fund another. It’s not sustainable, it’s not reasonable, and it’s not justified,” he said. “If we cut these positions, we’ll have to cover mandated duties with overtime, which quickly escalates from time‑and‑a‑half to double‑time, costing taxpayers even more. It’s a Band‑Aid over a bullet hole, not a sound fiscal solution.”
The sheriff’s office reports that the last time it added deputies was in 2022, when a training deputy and a detective were hired. Since then, staffing has either remained flat or declined, and overtime expenses surged to more than $6.7 million in 2025 – more than double the budgeted amount.
Looking ahead
The Dane County Board of Supervisors will continue debating the amendments in the weeks ahead. County Executive Agard’s budget still includes millions of dollars in capital funding for the sheriff’s body‑camera program, but the final outcome will depend on how the board balances public‑safety needs with competing demands for human‑services funding.
Both the sheriff’s office and the board have pledged to keep the public informed as the discussion progresses. Residents are encouraged to attend upcoming committee meetings and submit comments on the proposed policies.
Original reporting: NBC15 WMTV (Gray) – local — read the source article.
