Rock County Sheriff Robert Spoden won’t be running for re-election this fall. The sheriff says after a 31-year career in Rock County law enforcement, he plans to retire on January 7th. Accomplishments Spoden fondly reflects over his last 12-years as sheriff include the expansion of the alternatives to incarceration programs, the work-ender program allowing people to work off their fines rather than sit in jail, and the community garden to help teach inmates basic skills. Spoden started with the Sheriff’s Office as a Correctional Officer in 1988 and hit the streets as a deputy the next year. He was also the county’s first DARE Officer, a Training Sergeant, Lieutenant in the Community Corrections Bureau, and was promoted to Chief Deputy in 2004. He was elected sheriff in 2006. He expresses confidence in a new generation of leaders that can move the sheriff’s office forward in the coming years, but adds he does not plan to make an endorsement in the coming election.
