KENOSHA, Wis. — For the first time in two decades, voters in Kenosha County won't see David Beth's name on the ballot.
The county's four Republican candidates face off in Tuesday's primary to find out who will be on the ballot in November.
Residents TMJ4 News spoke to say mental health is a big priority when it comes to law enforcement in the community.
"Mental health is really big honestly because everybody, at some level, suffers with that," said Logan Rocha, a resident of Kenosha.
From an uptick in violent crimes to trends involving lethal drugs, voters in Kenosha say the county's big problems often stem from mental health crises.
"I moved here 14 years ago and I've seen it get increasingly worse," said Christina Superits, a resident of Kenosha.
In a community that is still very sensitive to law enforcement following the unrest of 2020, the four candidates running for sheriff are ready to address mental health. They are Kenosha Police officers Tyler Cochran and Albert Brian Gonzales, Kenosha "Deputy Friendly" Ray Rowe, and Kenosha Sargent David Zoerner. We asked the candidates about their plans if elected.
On the topic of mental health, Cochran says training staff to deal with mental health issues is the way to build Kenosha County into the future.
"If you reach out and you're experiencing a mental health crisis, you're more or less treated like a criminal. I want to move away from that," said Cochran.
Zoerner agrees and he says a focus on drug use is a priority in his campaign.
"Our overdoses are almost double the national average," he said.
From the streets to the jails, Zoerner says mental health needs to be addressed first and foremost.
"We have to run the jail, there is a lot of mental health to be focused on in our jail," he said.
Rowe says he would focus on making sure deputies have the training that they need to combat issues.
"I would like to have some mental health professionals come in at our annual in-services and update our deputies on how to handle mental health situations," Rowe said.
TMJ4 News did reach out to Albert Brian Gonzales, but did not hear back by deadline. According to his campaign page, he says as sheriff, he would dedicate a program for the health and wellness of deputies, staff, and their families and would ensure drug users get the care that they need to successfully recover from addiction.
Four candidates all say they're focused on protecting Kenosha, reducing crime, and caring for the community's well-being.
