As a result, the only areas of Racine County which do not receive these services from the sheriff's office are the cities of Racine and Burlington, and the villages of Caledonia, Mount Pleasant, North Bay, and Sturtevant.
Leadership
Sheriff
The incumbent sheriff of Racine County is Christopher Schmaling, who was elected as a member of the Republican Party. He was first elected in the 2010 midterm election, receiving 63 percent of the vote. Schmaling has been part of the sheriff's office since 1996. Schmaling took office on January 3, 2011, replacing retiring sheriff Robert Carlson, who had served in the position since 2003.
Chief deputy
The chief deputy of the sheriff's office serves as the sheriff's second-in-command. The current 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.
The Racine County Jail, located in downtown Racine and sharing a block with the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, is the primary detention facility of the county and the sheriff's office. The jail has a maximum capacity of 876 inmates, making it one of the largest non-state detention facilities in Wisconsin. As of December 2015, the jail had a population of 667. The current administrator of the Racine County Jail is Captain Bradley Friend.
Operations Division
The Operations Division, headed by Captain Thomas Lamke, provides public safety services. The division consists of smaller units:
The Evidence Custodian, responsible for collecting and preserving evidence for criminal cases
The Investigative Bureau, which conducts criminal investigations
The Metro Drug Unit, specifically involved in cases regarding illegal drugs
Patrol Operations, which patrols the different areas of Racine County
The Water Safety Patrol and Racine County Dive Team, which perform patrol and rescue operations in the water, both in Lake Michigan and in the county's smaller lakes and rivers
The Support Services Division is responsible for securing county facilities, ensuring the successful operations of the sheriff's office, and providing other services. The division is led by Captain Daniel Adams. Specific units and responsibilities of this division are:
The Civil Process Division, which serves legal papers to individuals and enforces lawful evictions
The Records Bureau, which collects and maintains the records of the sheriff's office
The holding of sheriff's sales and foreclosure auctions
