Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski says the technology you use daily is both a godsend and a headache depending on the day.

The department saw an increase in fraud complaints in 2022, many of which can be hard to track down because of the distance between the perpetrator and their target. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission reported that U.S. consumers lost approximately $1.2 Billion in 2022 due to scammers online and over the phone.

Some of their more unique calls also came from the world of technology as internet crimes against children (ICAC) like sexting. Joski says while technology has helped solve a lot of cases, it has led to the creation of many as well.

With a team of three investigators, Joski says he is proud of their work, especially their ability to solve the crimes the department tasks with them. You'll be able to read more about the topic below.

FROM MATT JOSKI

While some of the duties here at the Sheriff’s Department are in the public’s view and receive a great deal of attention, there is a division of the Sheriff’s Department that works tirelessly each and every day behind the scenes. As I reported in an earlier article regarding the response of our patrol Deputies to calls of a criminal nature; many of these calls are dealt with by those Patrol Deputies when the evidence for an arrest is clearly present. Not all crimes that are committed provide clear evidence of responsibility or even a clear picture of what actually occurred.

When a given call presents the need for evidence gathering, and in depth follow up, we rely on the members of the Investigation Division to apply their expertise in the pursuit of a successful outcome. This division is comprised of three Investigators, each of them skilled in various facets of criminal investigative work. While they may receive preliminary information from the initial responding Deputy, their work requires them to look at each and every case with a fresh perspective and recreate the events of the incident through extensive interviews, forensic investigation and follow through on each and every piece of information available.

A great deal of resources is expended in our constant vigilance against drug activity within our community as well as assisting adjacent counties and municipalities in their efforts. We continue to see the emergence of fentanyl in addition to methamphetamine in our communities along with the alarming abuse of prescription drugs which have impacted too many families and friends. The knowledge and intelligence gathering which is done on a daily basis by our Investigators has proven successful in many convictions pertaining to all criminal activity throughout this past year.

As another component of our effort to reduce drug use in our community, our Investigators are also tasked with the coordination of our 24/365 drug collection program. This program allows members of our community to bring in their unused capsules, pills, and tablets for proper destruction. The receptacle is located right our Safety Building and one of Staff will be more than happy assist you when you arrive.

Some of the common calls which are transferred to Investigations are burglaries, sexual assaults, and criminal damage to property. Some unique calls which this division has handled in this past year include the crime of sexting and related ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children). As with many crimes based in technology, there may be a limited awareness on the part of those perpetrating the crime, as well as those who are potential victims of the crime. sexting is when sexually explicit photos are taken by an individual and then shared electronically. A truly alarming trend which we have been seeing is the sexting which is going on among children in our community. While the young person taking the photo may not see it as a crime, or the young person who receives or shares the photo on their electronic device may not see it as a crime, it is in fact a serious offense. The real danger is the lasting damage that such activity causes in that these photos never go away and will last for perpetuity. The plain fact is that anyone taking such photos is in essence creating child pornography, and anyone with such an image on their electronic device is in possession of child pornography. Furthermore, anyone who shares these images is actually distributing child pornography.

In 2022, we saw an increase in the number of fraud complaints which required extensive investigations, as many of these crimes are perpetrated from distant locations. For the vast majority of these types of incidents, our efforts in prevention are the most effective means to minimizing the impacts of such crimes. Once perpetrated, the potential for successful outcomes is limited, if not impossible. Our Investigators do an amazing job at fostering relationships with financial institutions both within our county and beyond to help bring awareness and assist those who have been victimized.

Of the many ways we use in calibrating our success, one tool is the Incident Based Reporting system to which all Law enforcement agencies submit their data. A key area we look at is our ability to solve or clear cases. If you are interested in the details of this data, it can be found on our website at: www.kewauneesheriff.com

We pride ourselves on not only our clearance rates, but more importantly the quality of the work that goes into our investigations which ultimately leads to successful adjudication of these cases. This again is due to the diligent and hard work of our entire staff as well as the many leads we receive from our community.

Thank you to our Investigators for the thorough and methodical manner in which you do you jobs each and every day!