Optimists hear from Police Chief Josh Sherman

Chief Josh Sherman was the guest presenter at the August 3 SP Optimist meeting. When he was a Cub Scout as a youngster, Sherman decided he wanted to be a police officer. A 1994 graduate of Sauk Prairie High School, in 1998 he started working at the Sauk Prairie Police Department (SPPD). As an officer he worked every shift. In 2000, he became the SPSD School Resource Officer and served 21 years as a night sergeant. “I have high expectations of myself and of the department and I expect to be held accountable for my decisions. Being a police officer is one of the most noble professions,” he stated clearly. “The number of police officers is supposed to be 15 but we have 14. (At the time he spoke), the department has seven applications where at one time we would have had 200,” he explained. Sherman spoke about his philosophy in hiring: “We don’t want the best officer. We want to hire the best person and train them to be a good police officer.” The SPPD has one female officer at this time who is a community service officer. They would like to add additional females. Police officers work 12-hour rotations and three are on the road at all times. Sherman feels it’s very important for officers to take their vacation time so they can recharge. When asked whether the department had a police dog, Sherman replied, “Not now.” Drugs and break-ins are the department’s biggest challenges. Sherman urged all to come and visit the new SPPD station and to contact him anytime to talk, share concerns/praise/ideas etc. The PD is 73 years old. Sherman would love to have a history wall at the station but says they have not been good at keeping a history of the department. They would love to have someone(s) take this on. Any takers? Pictured, from left to right: SPPD Chief Josh Sherman, Optimist member and speaker chair Tanya Bare, and then-SP Optimist President Bart Mauch on August 3 at the Optimist meeting at the Jaybird Cafe and Spirits in Prairie du Sac.