Dane County Sheriff's Office Announces Temporary Changes in Operation

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office wants to make the public aware of some temporary changes to our operations to help minimize the risks of COVID-19 to the public, our employees and inmates in the Dane County Jail. Please understand this is an ever-changing situation and we will continue to update the public on adjustments as they occur. As always, public safety is our highest priority.
On Friday, March 13th, the Sheriff’s Office suspended all visitation and in-jail programming. In addition, inmates with work release are not allowed to leave for work or go to volunteer sites in the community. These suspensions will be in place until at least April 1st. Other adjustments to jail operations include: All Probation and Parole hearings are being conducted via video conferencing; Many court hearings, including initial appearances, are being conducted via video conferencing; Extra cleaning/disinfecting within cells, pods and common areas; Jail medical staff are carefully screening anyone being booked into the jail; Any current inmate showing signs of illness is being quarantined in a segregation wing and monitored by jail medical staff.
Other operational suspensions within the Dane County Sheriff’s Office include: Foreclosure sales; Release of evidence; DNA collection; Patrol ride-alongs.
The Sheriff’s Office would also ask that if business can be done online or over the telephone, rather than in-person, please do so. This may include records requests, which can be done online at https://danesheriff.com/Divisions/Support-Services/records. Patrol deputies may be taking more complaints by telephone. This may include a screening call to the complainant to determine if a deputy needs to respond in person. Please know that this only applies to non-emergency calls for service.
For the latest updates on Sheriff’s Office operations, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or download the free Dane County Sheriff’s Office app by searching Dane Sheriff on the App Store or Google Play. We will continue to provide updates on any further changes, as well as when these services are reinstated.